Let No One Put Asunder
by DeeDeeVee
Summary: The War is a nightmare of the past, but Harry is soon faced with a new enemy who threatens to tear apart everything that he has fought for; an enemy who plans to use those closest to Harry as pawns in a deadly quest for revenge.
1. Plans

Plans

Rows of cookie-cutter office cubicles lined the room deep within the Ministry of Magic. The cubicle walls were hidden under layers of memos and notices adorned with moving pictures of rough-looking men and women who scowled or glared at every passerby. Each cubicle was crammed to capacity with a chair, a rubbish bin, two or three cabinets and a desk that, in most cases, could not be seen under the piles of parchment and files strewn about.

At this late hour, all of the cubicles were dark and void of their witch or wizard occupant except for one that was set in the corner farthest from the entry door. A young man of nearly twenty sat at his desk busily writing on a piece of parchment; he paused now and then to frown in concentration or to run his hand impatiently through his unruly, raven-colored hair.

"Blimey, Harry! What are you still doing here?"

The unexpected voice directly behind him caused Harry Potter to jump. He instinctively drew his wand and turned quickly, knocking over the bottle of ink that he had just dipped his quill into.

"Damn it, Ron!" Harry snapped. "You shouldn't sneak up on people like that! Especially not an Auror!"

Harry turned back to the report he had just completed the moment before and ran his wand over it to siphon off the ink that was rapidly spreading across the pages.

"I wasn't sneaking," Ron protested. "Can I help it if your job makes you jumpy? I thought you would have already left by now."

Harry succeeded in removing the last stray drops of ink from his report and replied, "Not all of us were lucky enough to get a job in the family business that lets us come and go when we like."

Ron had initially planned to join Harry in becoming an Auror after the war. But then he decided to go to work with his brother, George, in his joke shop, Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes instead. George and his twin brother, Fred, started the business but Fred was tragically killed in the final battle at Hogwarts. Due largely to the celebrations and revelry that ensued after Voldemort's defeat, business at the shop boomed. George and his business partner and old school chum, Lee Jordan, found they needed the help and Ron was more than willing to accept the proffered position in the lucrative business. The position also afforded Ron a means to keep an eye on his brother, who, to this day, continued to have a difficult time dealing with his twin's death.

Every once in a while Harry couldn't help teasing Ron about working in the joke shop, and normally Ron would respond with a similar disparaging comment of his own regarding his friend's chosen profession; it usually ended in a friendly squabble, but hearing the tenseness in Harry's voice this time, Ron decided to ignore his comment.

Instead, Ron replied, "Actually, Hermione left early to get ready for tonight so she asked me to drop by your office before I headed home."

Hermione worked in the Ministry several floors below Harry as the head of the new Department for Magical Creature Protection and Welfare.

Ron continued, "She was afraid something might keep you and you'd be late for the rehearsal."

Scanning the parchment one last time, Harry replied distractedly, "I had to finish this report before I leave, since I'm going to be out for the next few weeks."

"Death Eaters again?" Ron asked, correctly guessing the cause for Harry's tension.

The Wizarding world had heaved a premature sigh of relief after Harry defeated Lord Voldemort two years ago. With the death of the darkest wizard of the age, many naively believed life would go back to the way it was before the Dark Lord's second rise to power. But the damage inflicted upon the Ministry during Voldemort's reign was extensive. Even with the near unanimous election of Kingsley Shacklebolt to the position of Minister of Magic, it was taking a long time to restore order.

After Voldemort's fall, dark wizards and witches touting themselves to be a renewed generation of Death Eaters began to reorganize. They claimed they would continue their vanquished lord's work and they renewed a campaign of terror against those they did not consider pure of blood; namely, Muggleborns and those with Muggleborn family members.

With Kingsley's encouragement, Harry joined the Ministry's new Auror department, which was headed by the Minister himself. The department was crucial in his effort to re-establish the government and restore justice. Since the Auror department had persecuted so many people during the war, Kingsley believed Harry's presence would provide the legitimacy the restructured department needed. Harry's defeat of Voldemort on that fateful morning was now legendary throughout the Wizarding world; as a result, people continued to look upon him as a symbol of hope and as a leader able to fight against dark Wizards, whether Harry himself was comfortable with the mantle or not.

"Yeah," Harry replied in answer to Ron's question. "This morning we raided a building that we discovered the Death Eaters have been using. We found some dark arts contraband and the typical 'pure-bloods should rule' propaganda, but we weren't able to arrest anyone."

"So you didn't find any Death Eaters, then?" Ron asked.

Ron could hear the frustration in Harry's voice when he answered, "By the time we got there, all but one of them were gone. If I didn't know better, I'd think someone tipped them off that we were coming."

Ron looked at Harry in surprise, "Is it possible somebody might have?"

Harry shook his head, "I don't see how. Only a few people in the Auror office knew we were planning the raid. And we aren't going to get any more answers either because the only Death Eater that was still in the house is dead."

"You killed him?" Ron paled slightly at the thought.

"No. I didn't even see it happen," Harry answered, and Ron heard anger seep into his friend's voice. "We thought the house was deserted, so the five of us split up to search it. The next thing I know, I hear curses being fired. Anderson ran into the Death Eater and he said he hit the guy with a curse that should only have stunned him. Instead, it knocked him out a third story window, and he was dead by the time we got down to him."

Harry shook his head and continued, "Anderson had him trapped. All he had to do was hold him until the rest of us got there and then together we could have captured him and brought and him in. We've identified him as Hasmond Carrow; he was a second or third cousin, or something like that, to Amycus and Alecto Carrow."

"Those two who were running Hogwarts at the end?" Ron questioned.

"The very same," Harry replied. "I bet we might have gotten some good information out of him if we had been able to bring him in."

Harry frowned as he thought about the one person he had not personally selected for his team. Much to Harry's irritation, the Auror Department's director, Auror Candlehard, had assigned Benford Anderson to his team, which left Harry with little choice in the matter. This wasn't the first time Harry had had trouble with him.

Harry never understood how or why Benford, or Ben as he preferred to be called, had become an Auror. He was rather conceited and he did not seem to like working with others in the department, including Harry. Not long after they met, Harry also discovered he had an unconcealed dislike of Muggleborns, which put them at odds right from the beginning.

Harry knew two other members of his team, Seamus Finnegan and Alicia Spinnet, from school.

Seamus shared a dorm with Harry for the six years they had attended Hogwarts, and Harry and Alicia played together on the Gryffindor Quidditch team. Harry liked and respected both of them, so when he was promoted to team leader several months ago, he immediately requested that they become part of his team.

Harry had also asked for Kevin Weaver, one of the first Aurors he met when he joined the department, to complete his team. Kevin was a year or two older than Harry, but he had never attended Hogwarts, since his family moved abroad when he was young. Kevin was reserved and he rarely spoke about his time away from England, but he was smart, level-headed and a talented Auror.

Harry finished his account of the raid by saying, "Anderson swears he didn't hit him hard enough to cause him to fall, but nevertheless, the guy is dead. I spent the rest of the day in meetings with him and a bunch of Ministry officials trying to explain what happened. On top of that, since I'm the team lead, I've been stuck here for the past four hours filling out a report explaining the same exact things we already explained in the meetings."

"Sorry to hear that, mate," Ron responded quietly. Then attempting to get Harry's mind on something else, he said, "But if you're done, don't you think we'd better get going? You have a wedding to get ready for, after all, so it's time to let someone else worry about Death Eaters for a while. Plus, you know Hermione will be in a right state if we don't show up at Bill and Fleur's soon."

Harry glanced at the watch the Weasleys gave him for his seventeenth birthday and realized for the first time how late it actually was. He tried to let the strain of the day ease away by thinking about the more pleasant evening ahead.

Harry commented, "Only married to Hermione for two months and she's got you running scared of being a little late? Maybe marriage isn't such a good idea for me after all."

Ron's face turned slightly red, but he answered, "You know Hermione, Mum and Fleur have put a lot into helping you and Ginny plan your wedding. I just don't want to see them disappointed by us getting there too late."

"You mean you'll never hear the end of it and you don't want to miss dinner," Harry said as a slight grin finally started to show on his face. He was grateful Ron had come by to get him because he already felt his tension starting to ease in the presence of his best friend.

"Well, something like that," Ron replied sheepishly.

Harry ran his wand over the report which immediately folded itself into the form of a paper airplane and flew off. Then he blew out the lamp on his desk and turned to leave.

"It may not matter if we're a bit late since it's difficult to have a wedding rehearsal without the bride. Ginny sent me a message that something came up and she won't be leaving Bulgaria until a few hours after the game."

They exited the Auror office and after Harry closed the door behind them, he tapped it with his wand. Immediately, clicking and clanking noises were heard as the door's magical locks engaged. He turned to walk with Ron down the deserted hallway toward the lifts and was surprised to see the expression on his friend's face had darkened.

"What's wrong?" Harry asked. "Ginny's been playing for the Holyhead Harpies for nearly a year. You know their travel schedule is always changing. I just wish I could have gone this time; whenever they play Bulgaria, it's a spectacular game."

"It's not the change in schedule that's the problem," Ron answered tersely. "I'd just prefer that she leave Bulgaria as soon as possible."

"Any particular reason why?" Harry asked, surprised by Ron's sudden change of mood.

"You haven't seen today's _Daily Prophet_, have you?" Ron asked.

"No, I didn't have the time this morning," Harry answered. "Why?"

He couldn't imagine what was in the paper to cause such a strong reaction from Ron. If something significant had happened, Harry was sure he would have already heard about it.

Ron stopped walking and looked hesitantly at Harry as if he was trying to make up his mind about something. Then he handed Harry the rolled-up copy of the Wizarding newspaper he was carrying.

"I guess you'll see it eventually, anyway."

When Harry unrolled the paper, he saw a large photograph of himself and Ginny smiling and walking arm-in-arm through a large crowd of waving people. They were going up the front steps of the Minister's Mansion, where Kingsley Shacklebolt resided. Harry was wearing his black dress robes; Ginny had on a long flowing evening gown and her hair was swept back so soft ringlets fell over her bare shoulders.

'God, she's beautiful,' Harry thought as he gazed at his fiancé's picture.

Harry recognized the photograph as one that appeared many times in the paper and various Wizarding magazines; it was taken just over a month ago at a gala held in the Minister's home to celebrate the second anniversary of the end of the war. It was a rare occasion, as Harry and Ginny did not attend public events often, preferring to maintain their privacy as much as possible. The festivities also marked the anniversary of Fred Wesley's death so, unlike most of the Wizarding world, neither of them felt like celebrating. On the contrary, Minister Shacklebolt believed their presence was necessary, given Harry's role in ending the war. After much convincing on Kingsley's part and as a favor to the Minister, they finally agreed to make an exception and accept his invitation.

Harry tore his eyes away from Ginny's smiling face and looked at the photograph beside it, which he had never seen before. This one was just as large and, Harry assumed, it was the reason Ron was upset.

The photo showed Ginny sitting very close to Viktor Krum, the famous Seeker for the Bulgarian national Quidditch team, at a candlelit table. They were sharing what looked like an intimate dinner for two and as Harry perused the photo, the likeness of Krum took Ginny's hand into his as they smiled at each other. The caption read, _'Is the Wedding of the Year Off?'_

Without reading the accompanying article, Harry handed the paper back to Ron.

"Nice photo of Ginny, but it looks like Viktor has put on some weight since I last saw him."

Ron gaped at Harry, "That pumpkin-head is moving in on Ginny and all you can say is it looks like he's put on weight?"

They arrived at the end of the hallway and Harry pressed the button to call the lift.

Harry replied with a shrug, "Ginny told me Krum asked her to get together for dinner if their schedules lined up while she was in Bulgaria. Looks like they did."

"But that article makes it sound like she's cheating on you with him! It all but calls my sister a- a—"

Ron was working himself into such a near fit that he wasn't able to complete his sentence. Harry couldn't help laughing at the incredulous expression on his face.

"Take it easy! I'm not happy about the insinuation, but I learned a long time ago you can't let what they put in the papers get to you. Krum's an international Quidditch star. With the success the Harpies are having this year, Ginny is becoming famous, too. If you add in the fact she's marrying me, are you honestly surprised a reporter took advantage of the situation and twisted the facts?"

The lift arrived and when they stepped in Ron said, "No… but my mother is going to see that article!"

Harry answered, "I think she understands this type of thing, too."

Ron looked doubtful and Harry continued, "Did you happen to notice that rubbish was written by Rita Skeeter? Since when have you started giving credence to anything that woman writes?"

"I haven't, but still…"

"Ron, I trust Ginny," Harry said. "And I don't believe Krum would 'move in' on her. He's a good bloke and he's a friend of mine. Ginny and I have even gone out to dinner several times with him and that model he's been dating for a while, so—"

Harry stopped suddenly and looked at Ron in astonishment, "Are you still holding a grudge against Krum because he took Hermione to the Yule Ball in our fourth year?"

He noticed the color suddenly rise on Ron's face.

"You really have to get over that!" Harry said in an exasperated tone. "_You're_ the one Hermione married!"

The door of the lift opened and they stepped out into the main lobby of the Ministry.

"I know…" Ron answered. "And I realize that Skeeter woman thrives on twisting things around, but when she writes things like that about my sister, I feel like she's going way too far."

Harry replied, "Since I'm marrying into your family tomorrow, I think you're going to have to learn to ignore whatever junk Rita Skeeter writes. I doubt she's ever going to give up on targeting me and the people around me for gossip in her column."

They reached the bank of Ministry fireplaces, but before Ron grabbed a handful of Floo powder, Harry pulled the _Daily Prophet_ out of his hands.

Harry said, "Before we go, let's put this where it belongs."

He dropped it into the nearest rubbish bin and smiled, "Forget about Rita Skeeter. I'm marrying that beautiful sister of yours tomorrow and I don't plan to let anything in the world ruin my happiness or Ginny's."

"Right, then," Ron said, grudgingly beginning to grin back. "I guess we'd best be getting to the rehearsal, huh?"

They both grabbed a handful of Floo powder and within seconds they disappeared from the Ministry.

**************

By the light of a lone lamp, a man sat in the shadows in an old house with Muggle photographs arranged neatly on the table in front of him.

None of the subjects knew their photo had been taken, but all showed Harry Potter going about various activities with those closest to him: Harry coming out of a Quidditch shop holding the hand of a very young boy; several of Harry with Ginny Weasley laughing over dinner or lunch at various Muggle restaurants; Harry with Ron and Hermione Weasley cheering excitedly at a Holyhead Harpies game; the four of them entering a theater to take in a late Muggle movie; the four of them talking over coffees in a small Muggle coffee shop; Harry looking amused by something the red-headed owner of a magical joke shop was saying; and a few others.

A copy of the day's edition of the _Daily Prophet_ lay on top of several of the pictures; it was folded in half so only the two photographs and their caption were visible.

He blinked several times to relieve the dryness in his eyes from staring at one of the figures on the page. His anger mounted with each passing moment he looked upon Harry Potter's smiling face. The very thought that the Wizarding world's _'savior_' was happy and content with his life infuriated him beyond measure.

It was not right. Potter had ruined everything; Potter was the reason he lost so much, and so Potter would be punished.

It had taken him since the end of the war to arrange things, although today all of his careful planning was nearly undone. He thought he had shaken the Auror off the trail, but Potter discovered where he and his men had been meeting much sooner than he counted on.

But that did not matter now.

He picked up the newspaper, waved his wand and the pictures flew into the small, wooden box sitting on the table. He closed the box and absentmindedly placed his hand on the top of it. Potter did not realize what he came close to discovering today and the idiot who almost made a mess of everything was dead.

All was still well. Potter would pay and, more importantly, he would suffer.

A smile came to his lips as he thought about the first phase of the plan he would finally set in motion tonight.

Yes indeed, Potter was going to suffer very much before the end.

His eyes shifted to the words above the photographs and he silently re-read the caption.

_Is the Wedding of the Year Off?_

"Oh, it will be, Miss Skeeter," he spoke to the shadows that surrounded him, "but not for the reason you think."


	2. Plans Interrupted

Chapter 2- Plans Interrupted

Harry stepped from the fireplace into the large, comfortably furnished living room of the cottage he and Ginny had purchased several months before. Even though the house was large for a cottage, it was still only a modest size. Harry had told Ginny that with his inheritance, they could afford something bigger. But the moment Ginny saw the place, she knew it was perfect for them and she fell in love with it.

In addition to the living room, the first floor consisted of a large kitchen, a dining room large enough to fit the entire Weasley clan and then some, a full bathroom and an office with its own fireplace that was perfect for Harry when he had to bring work home. A tasteful staircase led from the living room to the second floor where there were three bedrooms, including a master suite, and another bathroom. Although Ginny was not officially moving in until after their wedding, she had already decorated most of the rooms so that they were bright, airy and afforded a warm sense of home.

Harry glanced out the French doors that led from the living room onto a large patio overlooking a Scottish loch. The view of the setting sun caused him to momentarily pause; Ginny loved the sunset and he smiled thinking about the evenings ahead that he would share the sight with her.

Other than the cottage itself, its remote location and the amount of land that came with it had been another selling point for the couple. It would provide them with a serene haven from the constant throng of reporters and other attention that often surrounded them wherever they went within the Wizarding world.

"Kreacher?" Harry called the house-elf he had inherited from his godfather, Sirius Black.

He heard a crack as the elf immediately appeared before him.

"Master Harry!" he croaked and bowed before Harry. "Kreacher is most pleased to see you, sir, but Kreacher thought you would be dining at the Bill-Weasley's tonight. Kreacher will see about your dinner right away!"

After the war, Harry offered to free Kreacher from his life of servitude, but he immediately discovered the proposal was a mistake. Instead of being happy with the idea of freedom, Kreacher took the gesture as an indication of Harry's displeasure with his service. The old house elf had hobbled directly into the kitchen of number twelve Grimmauld Place and began beating himself over the head with a large cast-iron frying pan.

It took Harry a half hour to wrestle the pan from Kreacher's hands and then another hour to calm him down enough to explain that he was in no way unhappy with his work. Thus, Kreacher remained in Harry's service and split his time between Grimmauld Place and the new house.

"There's no need, Kreacher," Harry said quickly. "I only stopped here to shower and change before I head to Bill's."

"Yes, master," Kreacher replied. "Mistress's trunks arrived today. Kreacher has nearly completed pressing and hanging her garments in her closet."

"Thank you," Harry answered. "Ginny will be very happy for one less thing to do after we get back from the honeymoon."

Harry saw the gleam of happiness in the old elf's eyes at his comment. Ginny had already won Kreacher over completely.

Harry asked, "How is my wedding present to her coming along?"

If it was possible, Kreacher seemed to brighten even more at the good news he had to tell.

"Kreacher can assure Master Harry that Mistress's Quidditch pitch will be completed tomorrow."

"That's great, Kreacher! Thank you for helping to oversee the work on it," Harry said sincerely.

"There's been so much going on, I never would have had the time to keep up with it myself."

Ginny had recently commented about how wonderful it would be to have a Quidditch pitch of her own where she could train closer to home and to Harry. Harry smiled to himself when he thought about how surprised she would be when she found out he had had one built for her.

Thanking Kreacher again, Harry headed up to the master bedroom and within twenty minutes he was showered, dressed and off to Bill and Fleur's.

************

Harry arrived outside the garden wall of a small, white-washed cottage perched on the top of a high cliff. A salty breeze greeted him and he could hear the sound of the ocean waves crashing against the rocky shoreline below.

Upon Harry and Ginny's engagement, Fleur suggested the garden at Shell Cottage as a possible location for their wedding ceremony. Originally, Ginny had planned to get married at the Burrow like her brothers, Bill and Ron. However, the more she talked about the idea with Fleur, the more Ginny liked the idea of holding an intimate ceremony just as the sun was setting over the water. It took some doing, but she finally convinced her mother that the many flowers in the cottage garden along with the ocean view at sunset made for a beautiful and romantic setting for an early summer wedding.

Bill and Fleur's house was small, so a long table was set out in the garden to accommodate the family and the wedding party for dinner. There were charmed lanterns floating above the colorful flowerbeds, casting a warm glow as the sun descended.

A young boy of almost three years of age was the first person to see Harry when he stepped through the gate.

"Uncle Hawey!" the boy called excitedly and ran over to him.

Harry scooped his godson up into his arms and ruffled his turquoise-colored hair. The boy had Remus Lupin's facial features, but the hair was all Tonks.

"Hey, Teddy! How's my big boy?"

"Good!" Teddy said excitedly. "I've been pwacticing, Uncle Hawey! I can walk all the way fwom the house to the gate wiff-out dwopping yours or Aunt Ginny's wings!"

"That's great, Teddy!" Harry smiled, remembering Teddy's excitement when he and Ginny asked him to be the ring bearer in their wedding. "You're going to do a brilliant job tomorrow."

Teddy beamed with pride as Harry carried him toward the table. Most of the Weasley clan was already gathered including Charlie, recently arrived from Romania.

Also present were Neville Longbottom and Luna Lovegood, with whom Harry and Ginny had remained good friends after the war. The couple asked both Neville and Luna to be in their wedding, along with Ron, who would stand as Harry's best man and Hermione, to be Ginny's matron of honor.

"Aunt Ginny isn't here yet?" Harry asked frowning.

"Uh-uh," Teddy replied in the negative and then he began to struggle to get out of Harry's arms. "Lem-me go! I gotta hide!"

Harry followed Teddy's fretful gaze toward an even younger blond girl toddling toward them. Bill and Fleur's daughter looked just like a miniature version of her mother, and her blue eyes were fixed directly on Teddy.

"Teh-tee!" She called happily, causing Teddy to struggle all the harder.

"What's the matter, Teddy?" Harry asked. "Victoire only wants to play with you."

"But she's a _baby!_" Teddy protested, "She won't weave me awone!"

"You really should try to be nice to her," Harry replied, setting the boy down. "There may come a day when you don't mind having her around."

Teddy made a face and ran off toward the house with Victoire attempting to follow.

Smiling, Harry watched the children leave as Ron and Hermione came up to him. Neville, holding the hand of a blond-haired girl beside him, and Luna also approached.

"Well it's about time you got here!" Hermione admonished while giving him a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

"Rough day at the office," Harry said, giving her a peck on the cheek in return.

"Hi-ya, Harry," Neville said extending an enthusiastic hand of greeting.

"Hey, Neville," Harry replied shaking his hand warmly. Harry greeted the girl beside him warmly, "It's good to see you again, Hannah."

He now remembered Ginny telling him that Neville recently had started seeing Hannah Abbott. From the happy expressions on their faces, he assumed all was going very well between them.

"It's really nice to see you, too, Harry," Hannah replied. "Congratulations, by the way. I'm really happy for you and Ginny."

"Thanks," Harry smiled happily. "Hi, Luna."

"Hello, Harry," Luna gave him a friendly hug. When she stepped back, she said, "I've placed a charm around the entire garden so now they can't cause you any trouble during the wedding. Although Daddy will be excited when I tell him I found a swarm this far south."

Harry glanced at Ron, who only shrugged. Luna and her father continued to hunt all forms of mysterious creatures to write about in their paper the _Quibbler._ Harry found something comforting in knowing that Luna would never change.

"Thanks, Luna," Harry replied, but he couldn't help asking, "So ...er… what won't cause trouble?"

She replied, "Wiggyfingles. I heard them in the flowerbeds. They're very mischievous, you know. They like to make people forget whatever they were about to do. Something like that could be disastrous on your wedding day. Maybe I should tell Fleur she's infested."

Ron tried to stifle a laugh and Hermione gave him a subtle jab in the ribs.

"Thanks for taking care of them for us," Harry answered, "but I wouldn't tell Fleur that, if I were you. She has enough to occupy her with the wedding and all…"

"I suppose you're right," Luna replied in her dreamy tone as they all continued walking toward the table. "I'll wait until after the wedding to tell her."

Harry turned to Ron, "Teddy said Ginny isn't here yet?"

He was starting to wonder what could be keeping her; according to the message she sent him earlier in the day, she should have arrived by now. It wasn't like Ginny to be this late and not contact him.

"Not yet," Ron answered.

"I hope she gets here soon," Hermione said. "Fleur almost has dinner ready. We figured since it's getting so late, we'd better eat before the rehearsal."

She looked pointedly at Ron before she continued, "That way you guys will be able to concentrate on what you're supposed to do."

"That's one of the many reasons I love you!" Ron smiled and put his arm around her lovingly. "You're always thinking of me."

"And your stomach," Hermione added, but she blushed and smiled up at her husband as they reached the table.

"Harry!" Molly exclaimed and wrapped him in a tight, motherly hug. "Well, tomorrow's the big day!"

She stepped back from him with a wide smile on her face and he saw the start of joyful tears in her eyes. "You don't know how happy you've made Ginny and all of us!"

Harry replied with a wide smile, "I bet not as happy as I was when Ginny said yes."

Arthur also gave him a hug and said, "You're sure you're ready to become an official part of this bunch?"

"Most definitely, sir!" Harry answered with a large grin.

Fleur came out of the cottage with Bill beside her, who was carrying Victoire. Harry saw a much-relieved Teddy peeking out from the doorway behind them.

Kissing Harry on each cheek, Fleur asked, "So, where eez your lovely bride?"

He didn't want to seem worried in front of the Weasley's, but he answered, "I'm not sure. I guess something must have held her up."

Picking up on Harry's concern, Hermione asked, "Do you want to contact the Harpies' office? Maybe they can give you an idea how of long she'll be."

"Yeah, maybe I should," he replied and started toward the house.

Before he could take more than a few steps, they all heard a pop. Harry turned and he saw Ginny had just appeared outside the garden gate. Her face was flushed and she looked annoyed, but when her eyes landed on him, her expression changed to pure happiness.

Ginny ran straight to Harry, threw her arms around his neck, and kissed him passionately. He wrapped his arms around her slim waist, enthusiastically responding and forgetting for the moment that they were surrounded by Ginny's parents and brothers.

Reluctantly breaking their kiss, Ginny said breathlessly, "Four days is much too long to be away from you."

"Mmm, way too long," Harry agreed, kissing her again.

"Oi! That's enough you two!" Harry heard Ron say. "There are children present, you know."

Ginny looked around to observe Teddy chasing a moth near one of the lanterns and Victoire starting to doze in her father's arms.

"It doesn't look like we're traumatizing anyone but you, Ronald dear," Ginny replied.

Then she wriggled the fingers of her left hand where a diamond and emerald engagement ring of sizable proportions glittered in the lantern light.

She grinned wickedly, "I think Harry has earned the right to kiss his fiancé, don't you agree, _darling?_"

Harry grinned back but then he looked questioningly at her father, "That all depends…"

Mr. Weasley placed an arm around his wife and smiled broadly, "By all means, don't let us stop you."

That was all the encouragement Harry needed and he pulled Ginny back to him for another, but shorter kiss.

Hermione, Molly and Fleur brought the food out to the table and soon everyone took their seats.

George said, "Hey, sis, congratulations on your win today. We were listening to it at the shop. We thought Bulgaria had you there for a bit."

"Thanks," Ginny replied, but the annoyance showed on her face again. "That's the reason I'm late. Gwenog Jones has become such a tyrant since she quit playing and became the team's manager. Winning isn't enough. Apparently if _she_ had still been playing, we would have won by more than twenty points. The entire team had to stay after the game to review everything she thought we did wrong, play-by-play."

"But you won, so what difference does it make?" Mrs. Weasley questioned. "Didn't she realize you're getting married tomorrow and the rehearsal is tonight?"

"Oh, she knows but it didn't matter to her," Ginny replied huffily. "So after four hours I finally told her I had to leave and if she didn't like it, she could find herself another Chaser."

"Good for you!" Charlie said. "You're one of the best Chasers in the league so I bet that quieted her down."

"Sort of. As I was leaving she said she expects me to put in extra hours of practice after I get back from the honeymoon and during the season break." She smiled apologetically to Harry and gave his hand a squeeze.

Then she continued, "But enough about Gwenog. We haven't been together in one place in so long, and I want to hear what everyone else has been up to."

**********

After dinner, no one allowed Harry or Ginny to help clear the table, so the couple decided to take advantage of the time before the rehearsal started. Under the light of the rising moon, they walked hand-in-hand toward the footpath along the cliff where they stopped to share a kiss.

When they parted, Ginny rested her head against Harry's chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart.

Sighing contentedly, she said, "I can hardly believe that it's finally coming true tomorrow."

"Believe it, love," Harry replied wrapping his arms around her and inhaling her intoxicating scent. He knew he would never get enough of the feel of her in his arms. "This time tomorrow we'll be married and you'll be Mrs. Ginevra Molly Potter."

"That certainly does have a wonderful ring to it," Ginny smiled, stepping back and looking up at him almost shyly. "But that's not exactly what I meant."

"No?" Harry raised his eyebrows and asked, "Is something else happening tomorrow that I should know about?"

"Uh-hum," Ginny nodded.

His eyes locked with hers and the love he saw within their brown depths nearly took his breath away. Ginny reached a hand behind his head and began playing with a lock of his hair between her fingers. The unruly, raven-colored mass had grown quite long during the time he spent in exile searching for Horcruxes with Ron and Hermione, and he had discovered that Ginny seemed to like it that way. Many times when they shared a private moment, or even when they were just sitting close together somewhere, she would absentmindedly play with a stray lock just like she was doing now. He loved it when she did that.

She continued, "Tomorrow my childhood fantasy is finally coming true."

At Harry's quizzical look she said, "I've wanted to marry you since I was about Teddy's age."

Harry said in surprise, "But you didn't even know me then."

Ginny smiled and said, "Besides Beedle the Bard, Wizarding children, especially young witches, loved the story of Harry Potter. We knew he was special and he would be handsome and brave. Sometimes, when my brothers teased me, I'd lock myself in my room and dream that Harry Potter would fly up to my window on his broomstick and take me away to his beautiful castle to marry me. I guess it was my version of the Cinderwhite stories I heard Hermione telling Victoire."

"I think you mean Cinderella and Snow White," Harry chuckled, "but I'm glad I didn't know any of that before. It's an awful lot to live up to."

"In my opinion, you've more than lived up to it," she said, closing the gap between them. "The real thing is so much better than my fantasies ever were."

Harry bent his head down and greedily captured her lips with his and Ginny molded her body against him. The contact made him fervently wish it was the following evening and they were at last on their honeymoon and completely alone because all too soon they were brought back to reality when they heard Teddy calling, "Aunt Gineeeey!"

Harry groaned his frustration causing Ginny to laugh, "You'll have to get used to interruptions if we plan to have children of our own some day."

"Hmph," Harry grumbled, "we'll probably only get to have one if our first kid has the same talent for interrupting us like Teddy seems to."

"Harry!" Ginny admonished with a laugh; then she called, "We're over here, Teddy."

They walked hand-in-hand back toward the garden and met Teddy at the gate.

"What's up, mate?" Harry asked.

"I almost forgot!" Teddy said looking expectantly at Ginny. " Did you get it? Like you pwomised?"

"I sure did," Ginny replied. "I was so happy to see Uncle Harry that I almost forgot, too. Here you go." She pulled a small gold ball out of the pocket of her hoodie and handed it to the boy, "Caught and signed by Viktor Krum himself. He even charmed it so it won't fly away from you."

The Snitch spread out its wings and began to hover a few inches above Teddy's hand.

Teddy's eyes grew round with wonder and he exclaimed, "Thanks, Aunt Ginny!"

He ran off excitedly toward the house releasing and then catching the Snitch again and again.

Ginny sighed, "As much as Ron has tried to influence him otherwise, it seems Teddy is leaning toward supporting Bulgaria. I asked Viktor to bring the Snitch when we met for dinner the other night."

She looked apologetically at Harry. "One of the girls on the team showed me that article in the _Prophet._ I'm really sorry…. Viktor was only congratulating us when the photographer snapped that picture. It made a simple dinner look so sordid."

"That wasn't your fault, love," Harry said taking her hand and squeezing it reassuringly. "Besides, I think we have bigger things to worry about than Rita Skeeter's lies."

"We do?" Ginny asked looking at him in surprise.

"Most definitely," Harry replied as he started to grin. "Like how to deal with Ron when he finds out my godson idolized Krum."

They both started to laugh and Ginny said, "I think I'll let you handle my brother's reaction to that."

Ron and Hermione approached them and, still thinking about Teddy and the snitch, Harry and Ginny broke into renewed laughter.

Ron frowned at them, "What's so funny?"

"Nothing," Harry answered quickly and winked at Ginny.

"It doesn't sound like noth—" but Ron's retort caught in his throat as he looked past Harry's shoulder toward the ocean.

Hermione caught sight of something as well and her eyes widened in alarm.

"It can't be!" she gasped.

Harry and Ginny turned to look behind them for the cause of their reaction but before they saw anything, Ron yelled, "Look out!"

Yanking Hermione with him, Ron launched himself at Harry and Ginny and pushed them backward, knocking them both to the ground. A red light exploded in the exact spot where they had been standing only the moment before.

Harry pulled out his wand and turned toward the ocean; in the fading light he saw dark-robed figures on broomsticks appearing out of nowhere; and they were all headed straight toward them.

Another red light shot directly over their heads and Harry returned fire as he jumped to his feet.

He pulled Ginny up and shouted, "Get to the house!"

Ginny, Ron and Hermione drew their wands and the four of them started running toward the cottage while shooting stunning hexes behind them as they went.

A dozen masked Death Eaters were flying all around, casting hexes and curses at everyone on the ground; ahead of them, Harry saw Neville, Hannah and Luna under the table in the garden firing curses at the Death Eaters at every opportunity.

Bill was providing cover for Fleur and Mrs. Weasley, who were running toward the cottage with a frightened and crying Victoire between them. Charlie and Mr. Weasley were firing at the circling Death Eaters from the front porch but Harry lost sight of them when three Death Eaters descended with wands drawn to block their path to the cottage.

Harry quickly shot off a stunner that hit one of the Death Eaters squarely in the chest. The Death Eater slumped on his broom and began to fall, but his body and broom disappeared with a loud popping sound before hitting the ground.

A curse coming from the direction of the cottage hit another Death Eater and he, too, disappeared before his body struck the ground.

Seeing the fate of his companions, the remaining Death Eaters took to the sky again. Harry, Ginny, Ron and Hermione took advantage of their attackers' temporary retreat and ran toward the cottage.

Harry heard a scream ahead of them and he saw Hannah drop to her knees beside Luna, who had just been struck by a curse. Without breaking stride, Harry and Ron grabbed each of Luna's arms and dragged her with them while Neville took a hold of Hannah and pulled her toward the porch. Hermione and Ginny followed and continued to fire curses and other defensive spells behind them as they went.

When they reached the porch, Bill fired off a round of curses but they all missed their target when a Death Eater swerved his broom just in time to avoid them.

Harry shouted to Bill, "Where are your brooms? We'll need to get off the ground if we're to stand a chance of fighting them!"

"George just went to get them," Bill responded as Harry turned to see three beams of light headed directly toward the cottage.

He and Bill simultaneously shouted, "_Protego!_" and their shimmering shields merged around the front of the cottage so that the curses were deflected harmlessly away.

"Where is everyone?" Harry asked.

Bill replied, "Mum, Dad and Charlie went to protect the back and sides of the cottage. Fleur will be back after she ensures Victoire is safe in the basement."

"And Teddy?" Harry asked urgently. "Is he in the house?"

Bill froze, "I assumed he was— I didn't see him outside."

Harry's eyes frantically searched the garden but he saw no sign of Teddy.

George came running back and Bill turned to him, "I thought you had gone to get the brooms!"

"I did! Someone wrecked them!" George answered and held up the splintered handle of a broken broom. "Every bloody one!"

"What?!" Bill replied in bewilderment and then cursed under his breath.

Harry looked back outside; at least ten Death Eaters continued circling and firing curses randomly toward the cottage. Without brooms, they were going to have to find another way to fight back.

"I thought you still had wards protecting the cottage!" Hermione exclaimed in a frightened voice as she sent a volley of hexes at a Death Eater that attempted to move in for a closer shot. "How can they be attacking?"

"I don't know," Bill replied, his hex narrowly missing another Death Eater as he swerved away. "But I haven't brought the wards down."

Harry said, "We need reinforcements - I'm going to try to contact my team."

He moved to go into the house when a cry from Ginny made him halt in his tracks.

"Teddy is still out there!"

Harry followed her horrified gaze toward his godson, who was crying and cowering out by the garden wall. Before he could stop her, Ginny was already running down the porch steps.

"GINNY! WAIT!" Harry shouted and dashed after her.

Ginny dodged several curses and Harry shot a volley of curses of his own at the Death Eaters in an attempt to protect her.

Before Ginny could reach Teddy, the Death Eaters converged on her; but instead of trying to strike her, they were aiming at her feet.

Harry felt his insides freeze with fear when he realized they were forcing her in the direction of the cliff. Several of Harry's spells found their mark, but enough Death Eaters remained to push Ginny on until she could go no farther; if she took another step, she would plummet to the rocks and churning sea far below.

Then suddenly, every Death Eater came to an abrupt stop and moved away from Ginny.

For the first time, Harry noticed a lone Death Eater hovering on a broom above her, just past the edge of the cliff. He wore the same black robes as the others, but Harry could see his mask was different; it was golden.

The Death Eater was just lowering his arm and Harry assumed it was on his command that the others backed off.

Harry raised his wand but froze when the Death Eater immediately pointed his wand at Ginny.

The other Death Eaters began Apparating away while the lead Death Eater remained, watching Harry intently; he seemed to want to remember the look on Harry's face when it happened.

"This is going to kill him," he said aloud with a cold sneer, but Ginny only made out the words, 'kill him'.

Her eyes locked fearfully with Harry's, and the Death Eater's next movements happened so quickly that she did not get the chance to call out a warning to him. Ginny watched in horror as the Death Eater hit Harry directly in the chest with a curse that slammed him backward to the ground where he remained motionless. Fearing the worst, she screamed out Harry's name and moved to run to him, but in the next instant, she screamed again, this time in terror as she felt herself falling into open space.

Having only been struck by an immobilizing curse, Harry looked toward the cliff in time to see the Death Eater's second curse knock into Ginny and she began to fall.

"NO!" the desperate shout was ripped from Harry's throat and he struggled in vain against the curse that bound him.

The Death Eater moved to hover triumphantly over him and Harry heard his voice dripping with hatred, "Enjoy your wedding day, Potter!"

And then he was gone.

Suddenly free of the curse, Harry frantically tore to the cliff's edge and looked down, but in the moonlight, he could see nothing except rocks and the pale foam of the churning sea.

A violent shaking overtook Harry's body and he dropped numbly to his knees as Ginny's family and their friends rushed up behind him. His mind could not register the cries and tears of anguish that erupted around him; all he could see was Ginny… falling almost in slow motion, so very much like the way Sirius had fallen into the veil.

Harry brought his balled fists up to his eyes in an effort to stop the image from playing over and over in his mind, but it was no use. He tore his hands away from his face and then the night was suddenly rent by Harry's grief-stricken scream for Ginny mixed with the sound of the crashing ocean waves below.


	3. Picking Up the Pieces

**Chapter 3: Picking Up the Pieces**

The cloudless sky and bright sunlight belied the mood of the mourners gathered for the memorial service. Many friends and acquaintances of Harry's and of the Weasley family attended to pay respect to Ginny's memory along the shoreline where the tragedy had happened those many weeks ago.

But the man on the edge of the grounds was not listening to the eulogy Kingsley Shacklebolt was giving; his focus was on Potter, whose eyes were cast downward at the ground in front of him. While Potter's face was set in a stoical mask, it was satisfying to see he looked somewhat ill and it was apparent he had not slept well these past weeks.

The service ended and, one-by-one, each member of Ginny's family dropped a white rose into the waves rolling onto the rocky shore. Molly Weasley nearly collapsed in her grief, but her husband, his face streaked with tears, steadied her and led her away from the water's edge.

Harry went last. He tossed a single red rose into the water and remained motionless as he watched it slowly drift away. Several people went over to offer him their condolences, but Potter barely acknowledged them. Then Ron and Hermione approached him.

Ron had to clear his throat before he could speak, but then he said hoarsely, "Come on back to the Burrow with us, Harry."

Hermione added, "Arthur and Molly want you there… we all do."

When Harry didn't respond, she said, "Please?"

She had to strain to hear Harry's reply. "Not today, Hermione… I can't…"

They stood in silence for a moment before Hermione placed her hand on his arm, "It wasn't your fault, Harry. No one blames you."

Without responding, Harry jerked his arm from her and walked away.

The man watching the scene smiled inwardly to himself and joined the departing crowd.

********

Harry sat on his living room floor next to an untouched tray of food. He was only there because Kingsley Shacklebolt himself ordered him to go home for the remainder of the day to get some rest; as if that was possible.

Harry had no concept of how long he remained in the same position staring at the dark fireplace; perhaps it was an hour, or maybe it was several, but it was starting to get dark now.

He purposely sat with his back to the French doors because he could not bear the sight of the setting sun; the same sight Ginny loved so much and that he once thought he would share with her for many evenings to come.

Harry and the Weasley family searched the shoreline nearly a week for any sign of her. Although unspoken, they all harbored the hope that Ginny might have magically stopped her fall and had somehow survived. But the tide was high at the time of the attack, so they also knew that if she had fallen into the water, there was very little chance such a miracle could happen.

On the fifth day they found Ginny's wand washed up on the beach two miles south of Bill and Fleur's cottage; but never anything more.

After that Harry threw every bit of himself into finding her killer; it was the only thing that enabled him to go on.

His team of Aurors dedicated themselves to the cause as well. They promised not to stop until they found the answers Harry so desperately needed; even Ben Anderson was being uncharacteristically cooperative.

All four of them dropped everything else to work on the case. In fact, they all attended the memorial service that morning, which was the only time they had taken off from the investigation thus far.

It was nearing two months and many questions still remained frustratingly unanswered; how did the Death Eaters get past the wards Bill had put in place to guard Shell Cottage? Who knew where Bill stored his brooms and had destroyed them without him knowing? How were unconscious Death Eaters able to Disapparate, brooms and all?

The most notorious Dark Wizards with a vendetta against Harry were already serving life sentences in Azkaban, so who was the golden-masked Death Eater that had led the attack? And who were his followers?

The only question Harry knew the answer to was why: Ginny was targeted because of him; because he loved her.

_'Enjoy your wedding day, Potter.' _

Harry cradled his head in his hands and rested them on his drawn up knees. The words ripped through his mind and soul in torturous waves, and they haunted his dreams at night.

He hated going to sleep because every night it was the same. Every night, the attack replayed in his dreams, forcing him to watch the Death Eaters drive Ginny toward the cliff. Every night, Harry watched the golden-masked Death Eater appear on his broom behind Ginny and hit her with the curse. Ginny balanced precariously on the edge, her eyes locked with his so he clearly saw her fear. He always reached out to her, desperate to stop her from falling, but he couldn't move. Then he'd hear her terror-filled scream as she plunged over the cliff.

That was when Harry always jolted awake, crying out Ginny's name, with the Death Eater's words echoing in his ears. The dream always left him shaking so violently that he could never go back to sleep afterward.

Harry had no idea how he managed to get through the morning's memorial service. He had not wanted to go because it meant acknowledging Ginny was gone. The service made it real and it caused the small flicker of hope he had been clinging to finally die out.

Many people came to offer their sympathy and comfort. While he had not been in a state of mind to remember everyone, he vaguely recalled that many from the Ministry were there. Ginny's entire Quidditch team, including Gwenog Jones, attended, as did many of his and Ginny's friends from their days at Hogwarts.

Hagrid, crying loudly into his polka dotted handkerchief, was impossible to miss. He recalled seeing Dean Thomas and Michael Corner, both ex-boyfriends of Ginny's from school. Dean was alone, but Michael came with his fiancée, Cho Chang, whom Harry had briefly dated in school. Harry even had a brief glimpse of Draco and Narcissa Malfoy.

He was not surprised Narcissa attended the service, given what happened at her trial after the war; but her son's presence was unexpected. Harry had only seen Malfoy a handful of times in the past two years, and on most of those occasions, they mutually disregarded each other.

"Have you eaten at all today?"

The voice startled him, but he did not answer. Hermione came over and sat down on the floor beside him.

"Harry?"

"What?" he replied tersely.

"I asked whether you've eaten anything today."

"I haven't been hungry," Harry replied. He looked past her shoulder to where Kreacher was hovering a few feet away.

Harry's green eyes snapped angrily when he addressed the house elf, "I thought I had told you I don't want to be bothered."

Kreacher replied, "Master told _Kreacher_ not to bother him. 'I don't need anything, Kreacher, so don't bother me again' is what Master said. Kreacher is most sorry if Master Harry meant others as well."

The elf's tone indicated he was anything but sorry.

"Kreacher…" Harry growled at the old elf. "I don't need your bloody elf logic!"

"Thank you, Kreacher," Hermione interjected quickly. "I can handle things from here."

"As you wish," Kreacher bowed and immediately shuffled off.

"I thought house elves are supposed to do their master's bidding," Harry snapped irritably. Then he looked angrily at Hermione, "And I don't need you or anyone else to handle me!"

"No? Have you taken a look in a mirror lately?" Hermione countered. "You look like hell."

Harry glared at her and said sarcastically, "I can't possibly understand why that would be."

"You need to take better care of yourself if—"

"I'm fine!" Harry interrupted, looking away from her. "I'll be even better once I can get back to work."

"You are not fine," Hermione retorted. "You've been pushing yourself too hard and it's not good for you to isolate yourself from everyone who cares about you. Come to the Burrow with me— just for a few hours."

Harry did not respond and he kept his eyes focused on the fireplace.

Hermione pleaded, "You won't be able to keep going on like this much longer."

At Harry's continued silence, Hermione said sympathetically, "We all loved Ginny too… I know how much you are hurting and I know you aren't going to stop until you find the ones responsible. But starving yourself and isolating yourself from the people who love you is not going to help. Please, Harry… it's normal to mourn… but you know this is not what Ginny would have wanted for you."

Harry made no indication he heard her. The silence dragged on, causing Hermione to assume he planned to continue ignoring her. Other than stunning him and dragging him back to the Burrow with her, she didn't know what else she could do.

Then she heard him whisper, "I miss her so much…"

"I know," Hermione replied.

"It's never felt like this before," Harry said quietly. "It really hurt when I lost Sirius… and Dumbledore. Then Fred, and Remus and Tonks in the war…," then he looked at her.

The raw, heart-wrenching pain Hermione saw in his eyes brought tears to her own.

"But this morning… having to…" Harry looked away again and he took a deep, ragged breath before he could continue, "having to say goodbye when I still can't accept she's gone…"

Hermione remained quiet, but she reached over to take his hand into hers as they sat in silence again.

Finally, Harry asked, "Haven't I given enough?"

Hermione sniffed, "What?"

"After everything that's happened… after everything I've had to do. I finally let myself believe that I could be like everyone else… I was being given the chance to spend the rest of my life with Ginny. I thought maybe we'd have a family of our own… We would be together and I'd finally get to have a family, too."

"Oh, Harry, you already do have a family!" Hermione cried. "They love you and they're all so worried about you. Come back to the Burrow with me."

Harry started to shake his head and pull his hand out of hers but Hermione held on to him tighter.

She pleaded, "Being alone isn't going to help you, nor will it bring Ginny back or help you figure out who did this! Please! Please come back with me right now. It will mean the world to Molly and Arthur— and Ron. He needs his best friend now. You both do."

Hermione wiped the tears from her eyes and stood up. She put her hand out to Harry in a gesture to help him stand up and he grudgingly complied.

Hermione gently wrapped him in a hug and at first, Harry just stood unmoving with his arms at his side as she held him; but he suddenly could no longer stave off the grief that had been building over the past weeks and that had threatened to overwhelm him all day. His arms went around her, almost desperately, and his tears finally came in sobs of grief that wracked his entire body.

Hermione held him tightly and cried along with him while whispering words of comfort, as much to soothe her own anguish as his.

When at last Harry stepped away from her, Hermione silently took him by the hand and lead him to the fireplace where they flooed to the Burrow.

**********

Martha Pondergrass placed the paper on her lap and retrieved the handkerchief from her pocket so she could dab the moisture from her eyes. Any time she read about the tragic death of someone so young in the _Daily Prophet,_ it brought tears to her eyes. It had been that way since she lost her own daughter many years ago.

However, this time it was different. This time her tears were for the young victim's fiancée, who of all people was Harry Potter. As if that poor boy had not already been through enough in his short lifetime!

Many in the Wizarding world were fascinated with The Boy Who Lived, and Martha was no exception. She avidly followed the stories and articles written about him from the very beginning when he miraculously survived You-Know-Who's attack that Halloween night.

Then there were all those horrible articles written about him while he was at school; and even more about him and Albus Dumbledore just several years back. She prided herself in believing all along Harry Potter had never 'come unhinged' or that he was mixed up in a plot with Dumbledore to take over the Ministry; and she said as much to anyone who would listen.

She lost count of the number of times she read and re-read the articles and books written about the war and the many theories of how Harry managed to survive You-Know-Who's killing curse for a second time.

But her favorite topic was eyewitness accounts from the final battle of how Harry had confronted the Dark Lord alone and defeated him for good. While that feat in itself marked him as the greatest and bravest hero the Wizarding world had ever known, that was not what endeared Harry Potter to her; instead, it was his humility.

The celebrations, fanfare and accolades heaped upon him after the end of the war could have gone to anyone's head. Just look at all those young Muggle celebrities that were always in some kind of trouble. They craved the attention and went out of their way to get caught in the act of doing something outrageous in public. It was shameful and disgusting!

Harry Potter had done none of that and it seemed he tried his best to avoid the public eye. When pictures and articles about him did appear in the paper or magazines after the war, they rarely pertained to him doing something questionable (and if they did, Martha always chalked it up to tabloid lies). Early on, most of what was written dealt with speculations about which witch would be the lucky one to capture The Chosen One's heart.

All of that changed when his engagement to his sweetheart from his school days was announced. In Martha's opinion, Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley made the perfect couple and it was obvious they were very much in love. She devoured every article that was inevitably written about them and their wedding plans.

What a shock it had been to read about the attack. That it occurred on the night before they were to be married and resulted in the death of Harry's beloved fiancée was heart-wrenching.

Martha picked up the paper again and her eyes scanned the moving pictures from the memorial service. Most were group shots of Ginny's anguished fiancée, family and friends.

Only one showed a close-up of Harry and it brought fresh tears to Martha's eyes. He looked paler and thinner than in past photos and the photographer managed to catch him in an unguarded moment. Harry looked directly at the camera for only a few seconds before he turned away, but it had been enough to capture the pain and feeling of loss in his eyes; emotions that she could empathize with all too well.

Martha placed the paper on the nightstand and looked at the still figure lying in the bed. She heaved a sigh born of guilt and brought a shaky hand to her brow where a slight headache was forming.

She was getting older and times had not been good for her lately. She was in desperate need of money, so when she heard the mysterious job offer four weeks ago, she thought it had been a godsend. It paid double what she made each week as a nurse at Saint Mungo's and it would enable her to continue to pay the increasing taxes on her small cottage. When her services were no longer required, she was promised a single payment of twice what she earned in one year at the hospital.

Unfortunately, she did not learn the exact details of the position until she arrived at the house. Every day since then, she questioned her part in such a deception.

Upon her arrival, the young man led Martha down a long hallway and she nearly fainted from shock when she stepped through the bedroom doorway; she immediately recognized the girl lying in the bed.

Shaking her head at the memory, Martha gazed down at her charge. Automatically, her hand tenderly brushed the red hair away from the girl's face where bruises were still visible.

Between the curse that hit her during the attack and the injuries she had suffered in the fall, Ginny Weasley had not yet regained consciousness. But the signs indicated that she could awaken any day now.

Martha had a nagging feeling that even when she did regain consciousness, he would not let the girl leave. Even though he was young, and he could be very charming when he wanted to be, there were times when he frightened her very much. She suspected he would think nothing of forcibly detaining the girl against her will. That thought nearly caused Martha to be sick.

And then there was the unsettling way he looked at Ginny when he thought Martha was not watching. On several occasions, Martha caught him raking over her slim figure with his eyes in a way she thought was quite inappropriate.

Her new employer did not explain how Ginny ended up in his home after an attack where everyone, including her Auror fiancée, thought she had died. All he said was that he somehow happened to be in the right place at the right time to stop her from falling into the ocean.

He told Martha not to ask questions and not to breathe a word about the fact that Ginny was alive, for Martha's life would be in great danger should the truth leak out. The nurse had no trouble believing this, given the sort that she already saw enter the house on several occasions to meet with him.

He gave Martha the chance to back out if she did not want the job. He said he could easily find someone else and he would modify her memory so she would not remember what she had seen. To emphasize the point, he turned his wand on her while reminding her of her dire financial situation.

Martha's heart went out to Ginny and, although she knew it was wrong to keep the fact that Ginny was alive a secret, she agreed to the conditions and accepted the job anyway. But every day the struggle with her conscience and her feelings of guilt were becoming harder to bear. Especially after seeing that photo of Harry at the memorial service; the grief in his eyes was like a knife piercing her heart.

Martha sighed again and sat back down in the chair. It was hard to believe that she, Martha Pondergrass, had the knowledge that could return Harry's love to him; but she had never been brave, and she was too afraid to risk the consequences of going against her employer's wishes no matter how much her heart told her that she should.


	4. A Tip

**Chapter 4: A Tip**

During his visit to the Burrow, Harry spent several hours in the Weasleys' kitchen with Ginny's parents, Ron, and Hermione, as they shared sorrowful tears along with happy memories of her life. Initially Harry wanted to go right back home, thinking the conversation would only make the pain worse. But when Molly, Arthur and Ron spoke, their love for their daughter and sister was clearly evident in every syllable. He understood the painful impact Ginny's death had on them all too well, compelling him to stay and listen quietly along with Hermione.

The familiar feeling of comfort that Harry remembered from happier visits to the Burrow slowly stole over him. For a brief moment it felt like Ginny was still alive, perhaps no farther away than the next room, and she was going to breeze into the kitchen at any moment to bring light into his life once again. The all-consuming pain within his heart eased, if only slightly— until Molly brought out the photo album.

After flipping through only a few pages, they came upon a full page photo that caused Harry's breath to catch in his throat and Molly to place a shaking hand over her suddenly trembling lips. The photo showed a five-year-old Ginny wearing a long, white dress many sizes too big and a loose veil that covered her long, wavy hair. The little bride in the picture held a small bouquet of wild flowers in one hand, while she happily performed several pirouettes toward the window. There she stopped to look out as if she was searching for something, or someone.

For Harry, the photo brought to mind that night he had stood on a moonlit cliff; his arms wrapped around the most beautiful woman he had ever known, whose eyes communicated more love for him than had ever dared to dream was possible. That night when Ginny shyly confessed her girlhood dream to marry him, he had had no idea of just how soon all happiness and joy would be violently ripped from his life.

A low, sorrowful moan escaped from deep within Molly's chest and she ran crying from the room. Arthur quickly followed his wife and then their bedroom door was closed, shutting off the sounds of her hysterical sobs.

All comfort and warmth fled the room along with Molly, and Harry could not bear to stay a moment longer. No amount of pleading on Hermione's part could keep him from leaving, and he literally ran to escape from the Burrow. Once home, he spent the remainder of the night sitting alone on the couch in his living room, the gaping hole Ginny's absence left in his life feeling larger and more jagged than ever.

Harry had not gone back to the Burrow since, even though it meant turning down invitations from Molly or Arthur every day for the past week.

*************

The sun was barely up as Harry hurriedly gulped down his coffee and crammed a piece of toast into his mouth, leaving the remainder of the breakfast Kreacher prepared for him untouched. Even before that visit to the Burrow, Harry had been working long hours. But this week, he had taken up the habit of remaining at the office until well into the night; or at least until he knew he would be able to fall into an exhausted sleep the moment he got home. It was the only way he knew to keep from thinking too much about anything other than the investigation.

Harry took one last look into his briefcase to make certain he had all of his files and notes and turned toward the fireplace to floo to the Ministry. Before he could step in, green flames erupted and the head of Andromeda Tonks appeared. She looked relieved when she saw him.

"Harry! Thank goodness you're still home!"

"Is something wrong? Is Teddy okay?" Harry asked worriedly. Teddy had gone to live with his grandmother after his parents died in the war, and Harry's heart skipped a beat at the sound of her urgent tone, assuming something had happened to his godson.

"He isn't hurt," Andromeda assured him quickly, "But I don't think he's okay. Although, I thought he was doing fairly well, all things considered. You haven't been by to see him since… I mean, you used to visit often or take him out somewhere."

Feeling guilty, Harry answered, "I'm really sorry. It's just that I've been so caught up in the investigation. But what do you mean you're not sure Teddy is okay?"

Andromeda replied, "This past week he's started having nightmares. Really frightening ones."

Harry asked, "About the attack?"

"That's how it started," She replied. "He's been waking up crying about 'the bad men flying around.' But last night he started screaming for you and begging someone not to hurt him. It took me a long time to calm him down."

In his own grief from losing Ginny, Harry had forgotten Teddy was in the garden that night and had witnessed everything that had happened. He suddenly felt angry with himself for not thinking more about how Teddy was dealing with what he saw.

Before Harry could reply, Andromeda continued, "Teddy is too young to understand why you haven't come by to see him. It's obvious the Death Eaters terrified him, but I think he's also afraid he may not see you again, no matter what I tell him."

"I should have stopped by to see him before now," Harry replied guiltily. "I'll come by after work tonight."

"I think it would be better if you came over this morning before work," Andromeda countered, giving him a stern look.

Andromeda's resemblance to her sister, Bellatrix Lestrange, was uncanny. However, Harry was momentarily taken aback by the unyielding expression he now saw on her face. It reminded him even more chillingly of her sister; he was expected to agree.

"Er… sure," Harry wisely answered. "I'll be there in a few minutes."

"Thank you," Andromeda said, and the flames, along with her head were gone.

Harry put on his jacket, but before he grabbed his briefcase, he quickly went upstairs to the master bedroom. He opened a drawer of his dresser and pulled out one of two small packages wrapped in white tissue paper. He placed it in the pocket of his jacket and went outside beyond the cottage's protective wards to Apparate to Andromeda's house.

Andromeda opened the door immediately when Harry knocked and she invited him in.

"I appreciate you coming over this morning, Harry. I was just telling Cissy that seeing you will do Teddy a world of good."

"Oh, good morning, Mrs. Malfoy," Harry said, trying to hid his surprise as he stepped into the room.

Harry was not aware Andromeda and Narcissa Malfoy were on speaking terms again, but he knew Ginny had been encouraging Andromeda to give her relationship with her sister a second chance. Apparently Andromeda was taking the advice. Although Harry vaguely recalled seeing Narcissa at Ginny's memorial service, he had not spoken to her since her trial over a year ago.

After the war, many wives of convicted Death Eaters, including Narcissa Malfoy, were tried for their suspected involvement and support of their husbands' activities. Not only was Narcissa married to a convicted Death Eater and the sister of one of Voldemort's most devout followers, but the Dark Wizard had also used her home during the war.

If those facts had not been enough to find her guilty, Narcissa's presence among the crowd of Death Eaters that Voldemort led into Hogwarts on the night of the final battle certainly was. A conviction and many years sentenced to Azkaban seemed inevitable.

The trial was held in the same courtroom where the Ministry had tried Harry for using underage magic before his fifth year at Hogwarts. As Minister of Magic, Kingsley Shacklebolt presided over the proceedings.

Near the end of the trial, Kingsley asked Narcissa if she had evidence to present in her defense. Fearful and pale, she could only shake her head numbly in the negative.

Harry was among the many on-lookers in the courtroom. It was then that he asked permission to approach the Minister's bench.

Narcissa knew that Harry despised her son, Draco, and her family; she assumed he only wanted to persuade the Minister to imprison her for as long as possible.

Narcissa glanced nervously at Draco, who was sitting in the crowd. His eyes were glued on Harry's back as he spoke to the Minister in hushed tones. There was an expression of pure hatred on her son's face and she prayed he would not do anything stupid when she was sentenced.

Kingsley adjourned the court to meet with Harry in private, and within a half hour's time, they returned. Harry walked past Narcissa without looking at her, and she watched him take his seat in the back of the room between her traitorous sister, Andromeda and Ginny Weasley.

As Kingsley Shacklebolt called the proceedings back to order, Narcissa was certain he was going to ask the jury to send her to prison for life.

Instead, the Minister announced his recommendation that she be sentenced to ten years probation, with no prison time served. When the jury finally voted, a small majority sided with the Minister.

Even though she was feeling numb from the shock, Narcissa could not overcome her impulse to find Harry before he left the courtroom. She called him several times before he reluctantly turned to face her.

"Did you…?" She started, unable to believe what just happened. "I- I don't understand..."

Harry replied quietly, "I don't think it will serve any purpose for you to go to Azkaban."

His words surprised her and she said, "But I can't believe that you… of all people…"

Harry leaned closer to her so none of the people thronging around them could hear.

"If you had told him the truth that night, things would have turned out much differently. I know you didn't do it for me, but it doesn't matter."

Narcissa's eyes widened in fear.

There were those who still remained loyal to the Dark Lord's cause. She knew some questioned her insistence that she detected no breath or heartbeat when she was asked to verify Harry's death in the forest that night; and Harry had always refused to answer any questions regarding what happened prior to his miraculous appearance in the Hogwarts's Great Hall for his final confrontation with Voldemort.

If Harry confirmed openly that she had aided him in the Dark Lord's defeat, even unintentionally, her life and Draco's would be in great danger.

Noticing her alarm, Harry said, "The Minister won't reveal what I told him to anyone."

He stepped back when Draco came up quickly to his mother's side.

Looking Narcissa directly in the eyes, Harry said, "Let's hope there never comes a time I regret my decision today."

Ignoring Draco's glare, he strode away to join Ginny, who stood at a discreet distance waiting for him.

Now sitting in her sister's living room, Narcissa responded to his greeting, "Good morning, Mr. Potter. It is a pleasure to see you again."

"Likewise," Harry responded with cool politeness and quickly turned back to Andromeda.

"Is Teddy up in his room?"

Andromeda nodded, "Yes, he is. Go on up."

********

Teddy's door was slightly ajar and Harry knocked lightly as he poked his head in. With a great amount of effort, he forced a note of cheerfulness in his voice. "How's my best mate?"

Teddy's eyes widened in surprise when he saw Harry standing in the doorway. Then the boy jumped off his bed and ran over to Harry with a huge smile on his face.

"Uncle Hawey! You're okay!"

Harry picked the boy up and gave him a hug.

"Of course I am," he replied, ruffling his godson's hair, noticing that it was now a very dull shade of blue. "What would make you think that I wasn't?"

The smile disappeared from Teddy's face and he shrugged, "I dunno."

Harry put Teddy down. The boy went to sit back on his bed and began to play with the snitch Ginny had given him just before the Death Eaters attacked. The sight of the snitch was a brutal reminder of the events of that night, and Harry had to take a deep breath to ease the sudden clenching in the pit of his stomach.

"Come on." He sat on the bed next to Teddy and coaxed, "You were happy to see me just a moment ago. Is something bothering you?"

Teddy frowned and continued to play with the snitch but he didn't answer.

Harry tried again. "Gram told me you've been having nightmares. Want to tell me about them?"

"No," Teddy replied definitely.

"Oh," Harry said and was quiet for a moment and then he asked, "Can I tell you about mine then? They've been making it really hard for me to sleep."

Teddy's eyes were round with surprise when he looked up at Harry. "You have nightmares, too?"

"Sure I do," Harry replied. "Everyone has nightmares sometimes. Especially when they see something that really scares them."

"What do you have nightmares about?" Teddy asked.

"Well," Harry replied carefully so he could keep his voice steady, "Lately, I've been having a lot of dreams about what happed to Aunt Ginny, and when I do, I wake up scared and really sad."

Teddy gave Harry a look like he didn't believe him. "You can't get scared, Uncle Hawey, you're an Awer!"

Harry couldn't help the slight smile that came to his lips and he replied, "Just because I'm an Auror, doesn't mean I don't get scared sometimes."

Then he leaned down so his head was level with Teddy's. "Tell me what you've been dreaming about. Maybe it will help."

Teddy started playing with the snitch again and answered, "The bad men that took Aunt Ginny away are after me." Teddy's lip begin to tremble, "You're s'pose to be wiff me, but you're not 'cause they hurt you bad and they chase me."

"Come here," Harry said and opened his arms.

Teddy crawled into his lap and Harry cradled the boy to his chest.

"Teddy," Harry said gently, wishing he knew what he should say to comfort the child. Ginny had always been better than he was at finding the right words. "I know you saw some things that were really scary, but I'm going to do everything I can to keep anyone from hurting you. After what happened, I don't blame you for feeling afraid; but besides me, remember you also have Gram and all your uncles, like Uncle Bill, and Uncle Ron and Uncle George to help keep you safe, too. Okay?"

"I guess," Teddy replied.

"Tell you what," Harry said and he had to place a finger under Teddy's chin to get the boy to look at him, "how about I promise to come by to visit you at least once every week like I used to? I'll even take you to Diagon Alley to visit Uncle Ron and Uncle George in their shop. Would you like that?"

"Yeah!" Teddy responded eagerly.

Harry smiled at the boy's enthusiasm and he reached into his pocket to pull out the white package.

"I have a present for you."

"A pwesent!" Teddy exclaimed and tore the paper open. When he saw what it was, his excitement died.

"It's only a mirwor."

"But it's a very special mirror," Harry answered. "I have another one just like it at my house. If you look in it and say my name, you'll be able to see me and talk to me."

The magical mirror was a slightly larger version of the one Sirius once gave him. Harry purchased a set as a gift for Ginny's upcoming birthday so they could see and talk to each other when one of them had to travel.

"But what if you aren't there?" Teddy asked.

Harry said, "Then the glass in my mirror will glow red and I'll know to call you back when I get home. But the best part is, if you have another bad dream, you can call me through the mirror and tell me about it if you want."

Teddy smiled again as Harry stood up.

"I've got to go to work now, but I'll be by to see you again in a few days, okay, mate?"

"Okay," Teddy answered, examining the mirror with renewed interest.

Just as Harry got to the door, Teddy called, "Uncle Hawey?"

Harry turned back to the boy, "Yeah, Teddy?"

"I miss Aunt Ginny."

Harry swallowed the lump that caught in his throat with difficulty, and answered quietly, "I do, too, kiddo; I do too."

**********

When Harry went back downstairs, Andromeda asked, "How is he?"

"I think he'll be okay," Harry replied, "I've promised to come by more, like I used to and that seemed to cheer him up."

"Good," Andromeda said. "I think it will do you some good as well."

"Maybe it will," Harry answered, but his voice didn't sound convincing, even to his ears.

"We'll see you soon, then," Andromeda said gently, leading him to the door.

"Mr. Potter?" Narcissa Malfoy called to him. "I wish to speak to you."

Harry had no idea what she could possibly have to say to him but he was not in the mood to talk to her at the moment. "I'm already very late for work, Mrs. Malfoy, so perhaps another time."

Narcissa insisted, "I won't take much of your time and I believe you will find it worth your while."

"Alright then," Harry sighed resignedly and faced her with crossed arms, "what do you want to speak to me about?"

Harry's curiosity peaked when Narcissa said to her sister, "I'd prefer that we have some privacy."

Somewhat baffled, Andromeda looked uncertainly between the two of them but then she excused herself. Narcissa seemed suddenly nervous as Harry waited for her to begin.

"I am sorry about your fiancée. It was most tragic."

While Harry detected no malice or insincerity in her voice, he found himself having to control the sudden resentment and irritation her words evoked in him. He was certainly not about to stand there and talk to Narcissa Malfoy about Ginny.

"Yes, it was," he answered icily. "Thank you for your condolences, but I really do have to be going now."

He started to turn again and Narcissa said, "Watch your back, Mr. Potter."

Harry immediately stiffened and looked back at her with narrowed eyes, "Is that a threat, Mrs. Malfoy?"

The steely coldness in his tone and green eyes caused her to take an involuntary step backward.

She was reminded that the wizard before her was not the boy her husband and his colleagues had scoffed at and claimed had escaped their master through luck and the sacrifice of others; he was the man she had witnessed stand alone against the darkest, most powerful and feared Wizard of their time, and come out the victor.

"No," Narcissa replied quickly, recomposing herself. "It is a genuine attempt to warn you."

"Warn me about what?" Harry queried, wondering what she was up to.

Narcissa chose her words carefully, "About certain… rumors… being whispered among… acquaintances; mostly by women whose husbands may still have ties to the darker side of magic, and who talk too much after a Firewhiskey or two."

Harry's eyes narrowed again at her mention of dark magic and she added quickly, "I assure you I have done nothing to jeopardize my probation."

Harry surveyed her for a moment and then asked, "And what are these rumors saying that is of interest to me?"

Narcissa answered, "That there are those who desire vengeance and your death and, of late, they are talking about someone who is planning just that."

She was surprised when Harry showed no reaction to her warning.

"Did you hear what I said?" Narcissa asked incredulously. "Someone wants to kill you!"

"Yes, I heard you, Mrs. Malfoy," Harry replied with a humorless smile. "You know, as well as I do, that there has always been someone wanting to kill me since before I was even born. I've pretty much gotten used to the idea."

Narcissa was staring at him in disbelief. If she had just heard someone was planning her death, she would be terrified.

Harry continued, "Unless you have more than rumors from people who have to be fortified by Firewhiskey before they make their opinions of me known, I'll be on my way. Have a good day."

This time Harry reached the door before Narcissa halted him again.

"Wait," she called tentatively, "…please…"

Surprised to hear the plea from a woman he considered to be incredibly haughty, Harry turned back to Narcissa with raised eyebrows. She was pacing slightly and ringing her hands absentmindedly.

She said, "Did you know someone has been watching you… following you, even when you have gone out with friends or among Muggles?"

Her question caught him off guard, and Harry's brows raised again. After his defeat of Voldemort, the lack of privacy and the attention he drew wherever he went in the Wizarding world became nearly maddening. There had even been incidents of over-zealous admirers, as well as a few unbalanced and angry Death Eater supporters accosting him in public; therefore, when he wanted to ensure his anonymity during a quiet dinner with Ginny, or when they double-dated with Ron and Hermione, they often ventured into Muggle neighborhoods.

"You've heard someone has been following me?" Harry asked, trying not to sound unsettled by the news that some stranger knew about his means for achieving privacy. "Why?"

"I don't know why," Narcissa admitted, "Although I do not think the one following you is the one you need to worry about, but more the one he's working for. Someone who is making it known that vengeance against you is his first order of business; he has begun to gather a following and he is also gaining a reputation as someone not to anger."

"To be honest, what you've told me isn't a surprise," Harry replied with a shrug. "I've gotten more threats than I can count since Voldemort's death."

Narcissa shuddered and Harry was amazed that hearing the dark wizard's name still evoked fear so long after his demise.

Harry checked his watch and realized he was now over an hour late for work. "I appreciate the warning, and I'll keep my eyes open."

"Mr. Potter," Narcissa replied, looking pointedly at him, "you don't seem to realize that the first step in his plan for vengeance against you has already occurred!"

Harry felt a chill run up his spine and the voice of the golden-masked Death Eater rang through his mind, _'Enjoy your wedding day, Potter.'_

Harry took a step toward Narcissa and demanded, "You're telling me you know someone who can identify the Death Eater who killed Ginny?"

"Perhaps…" Narcissa answered cautiously. "After it happened, the one who said he followed you was well into his cups in a pub one night. He was heard bragging that whoever hired him got to your fiancée under your nose, so he was sure they'd get to you as well… when it was time."

Harry's heart was pounding hard against his ribs; could Narcissa provide him with the lead that would finally help him track down those responsible for Ginny's death?

Harry urged, "Do you know his name or where I can find him?"

An apprehensive look came over Narcissa's face. "I have already told you more than I should! People are scared again, Mr. Potter! People who have not been afraid since the Dark Lord…"

"Mrs. Malfoy, you have to tell me whatever you've heard!" He countered, taking several angry steps so that he stood directly in front of her.

"I know I'd be in Azkaban had you not intervened with the Minister…" Narcissa hesitated before she continued, "Andromeda also told me that I have Ginny Weasley to thank for convincing her to allow me into her and Teddy's lives… it's meant so much… Your fiancée did not deserve to die so young…"

"Then help me!" Harry demanded impatiently. Narcissa jumped and recoiled nervously from the anger she saw in his eyes.

Harry took a deep breath and said more calmly, "Please…? Can you give me a name or tell me where I might find him?"

Narcissa answered quietly, "Try the Dark Specter Tavern in Knockturn Alley. The only other thing I've heard is that they refer to him as Dingo."

"Thank you, Mrs. Malfoy," Harry responded gratefully as he turned toward the door. He could barely contain his exhilaration; at last this was something he could act on. "Thank you very much."

Harry opened the door but before he left, he looked back at Narcissa and said sincerely, "You have my word that no one will learn the information came from you."

Narcissa's pale eyes met his, "Good luck, Mr. Potter."


	5. The Dark Specter

**Chapter 5: The Dark Specter **

When Harry arrived in his office at the Ministry, his team was already seated around the old, scarred wooden table in their meeting room. Parchment-filled folders lay in front of each of them, and large pieces of parchment were hanging on the walls with organized lists of the information they had collected thus far. They were all in the middle of reviewing the details of the attack for what seemed to be the hundredth time but the conversation halted abruptly when Harry walked into the room.

"Harry! Where have you been?" Seamus asked before Harry even had the chance to sit down.

"You're over an hour late!" Alicia exclaimed, stating the obvious. "Is everything okay?"

Glancing around the table, Harry saw them looking at him with concern and he said, "Can't a bloke forget to set his alarm one time without everyone jumping on him?"

Seamus and Alicia gaped at him in surprise while Ben and Kevin exchanged questioning glances.

Since the attack, Harry was always in the office well before any of them, and they had become used to his usual sullen and serious mood. However, this morning, the tone of his voice sounded much closer to the way it used to be, and the change took them off guard.

"Er… sorry, Harry, it's just…" Alicia started to say, but her voice trailed off.

Kevin continued for her, "It's just that you haven't come in this late in a while, and we were beginning to wonder whether something was wrong."

"Nothing's wrong," Harry replied, taking his seat at the head of the table. "As a matter of fact, it's just the opposite. I've gotten an anonymous tip that may be a solid lead in tracking down the Death Eater who led the attack."

"A tip?" Ben asked, "from whom?"

Seamus crumpled up a piece of parchment and chucked it at him, "If Harry knew who it was from, it wouldn't be anonymous then, would it?"

Ben glared back at him, "I _meant,_ does it sound legitimate, and is it something we should take seriously? Or have you forgotten what happened when you followed the last supposed lead?"

Color crept into Seamus's face, "You know that wasn't my fault!"

"Lay it off, Ben," Kevin said, coming to Seamus's defense. "We can't afford to ignore any tip we get. You never know whether it's for real or if it's from a beautiful nutter who just happens to have a thing for Aurors."

Kevin grinned at Seamus who folded his arms in annoyed embarrassment.

Ben pushed back from the table and said, "I'm only pointing out—"

Harry interrupted impatiently, "Do you want to keep bickering, or do you want to hear what I have?"

"Go on, Harry," Alicia said quickly as she cast a reproving eye at Ben. "What did you find out?"

Harry answered, "Whoever was responsible for the attack hired someone to follow me before it happened and—"

"You were being followed?" Ben interrupted incredulously, "And you, being an Auror, had no idea?"

"Apparently," Harry ground out, throwing Ben an angry look.

Knowing Harry's patience, especially with Ben, was in short supply these days, Kevin quickly asked, "Did the source say who it was?"

Harry answered, "The source said that whoever was responsible for the attack hired someone named Dingo to follow me, even when I was with friends."

Alicia asked, "But why? It would be difficult for one person to do much to you, especially if you had other people with you."

Kevin speculated, "If someone was following Harry while he was with other people, I doubt the reason was to harm him."

Ben asked, "How can you be sure this bloke was actually hired by whoever was responsible for the attack?"

"I can't," Harry replied, looking down at the table in front of him. He was having difficulty repeating what Narcissa told him; it confirmed in his mind that he had failed to keep Ginny safe. "But Dingo was overheard saying that the one who hired him will be able to get to me whenever he wants since he was already able to get to Ginny while I was with her."

Seamus asked, "Did the source tell you where we can find him?"

Harry replied, "Supposedly, he frequents the Dark Specter Tavern in Knockturn Alley."

"So what are we sitting here for?" Seamus said as he started to stand up.

Harry eyed him and asked, "Where are you going?"

"To the Dark Specter," Seamus replied. "The sooner we find him, the sooner we'll get some answers."

"Don't you think it's a bit early?" Ben asked dryly. "Even Dark Wizards don't tend to hit the pubs until later in the afternoon."

Alicia said, "We'll go tonight to look for him—"

Harry cut in, "You guys aren't going anywhere near the Dark Specter."

"Why not?" Seamus demanded as he sat back down heavily and the others looked at Harry in surprise.

"Because I plan on going there tonight by myself," Harry answered. He had been waiting months for the chance to confront anyone with ties to the attack and he wanted to interrogate to the suspect personally, without the chance of any kind of interference.

"I don't think going alone is a good idea," Alicia said, eyeing him suspiciously, as if she had read his mind.

Harry replied, "The last thing we need is to have a bunch of Aurors show up in Knockturn Alley and scare away our only lead. I'll go undercover tonight and see what I can find out."

"You shouldn't go by yourself," Seamus admonished. "Especially if this guy is working with someone who wants to kill you!"

Harry replied hotly, "You know, as well as I do, if I ran scared every time someone threatened to kill me, I'd never go anywhere."

"I think Seamus is right," Kevin said. "It could be too dangerous for you to go into Knockturn Alley alone."

"I'll be fine!" Harry snapped. "It's only a pub, so I don't need all of you—"

"We're coming with you," Alicia stated, folding her arms and looking at him obstinately.

"Not if I make it an order—" Harry started to say through gritted teeth, but Alicia cut him off again.

"Go ahead. But you can't dictate what any of us does when we're off duty."

Harry glared back at her and then at the others. Their stubborn expressions told him it was a lost cause.

"Oh, alright!" he growled. "I suppose backup can't hurt. We can use the usual cover, so Alicia will come with me into the pub." Harry and his team found people were less suspicious if they pretended Alicia was a girlfriend when they worked under cover. "The rest of you will stay out of sight unless we need you. And if we do find him, _I'll _be the one who asks the questions. Agreed?"

At their affirmative replies he said, "Good. Now, bring me up to speed on what you've been working on. Alicia, any more information on who destroyed the brooms at Bill's and how they got through his security wards?"

"I've researched every security measure Bill told me he put in place," Alicia replied. "He employed the standard spells and charms along with several he learned during his curse-breaking days in Egypt. He's really very talented at casting protective wards, and I haven't figured out a way anyone could have bypassed them without his knowledge.

"It's looking like whoever destroyed the brooms and led the Death Eaters through the wards knew exactly how to get past them."

"So that still gets us nowhere," Harry said in frustration. "The only people who could get through the wards without an escort were immediate members of the Weasley family and me. The Death Eaters must have discovered some other way to get through. "

"Don't forget the Aurors from the Security Department," Seamus said. "Since the Minister was going to be in attendance, Bill had to allow several of them temporary access so they could secure Shell Cottage."

Ben said, "Which means someone in that department has to be working for Death Eaters."

Harry frowned as he considered Ben's speculation. "If that's the case, then we have an even bigger problem on our hands."

Under the laws of the new Ministry government, every Auror was subjected to a meticulous background check, including an extensive interrogation under Veritaserum, the truth serum. Conceivably, it should be impossible for Death Eater sympathizers or Dark Wizards to get through.

Ben continued, "We've already begun to recheck the background of everyone with clearance. And I've also started crosschecking to see if they, or anyone they associate with, have reason to harbor a grudge against you."

"Keep it as quiet as possible," Harry said. "We don't want to alert anyone to what we are looking for. And I want to know the minute you find anything."

If their investigation did uncover a spy, Harry wanted to personally deal with whoever it was himself.

He turned to Kevin. "Have you determined how the Death Eaters were able to Disapparate that night after we stunned them?"

This was another point Harry found extremely frustrating; every Death Eater they had stunned during the attack had vanished before they hit the ground; not only was it unheard of, but it had left them without anyone to interrogate.

If they could determine the charm the Death Eaters used, it might be possible to develop a charm of their own to counter it.

Kevin replied, "I've been able to come up with a name, Silas Adelcomb. He's well-known among certain circles for his creative spell work."

Harry asked, "When will you be bringing him in for questioning?"

"Unfortunately, no one has seen him for several months," Kevin answered. "It's likely he's no longer in London, although no one has been forthcoming as to where he may have gone. I have a few more leads to check into, but I need to be careful so I don't tip anyone off that I'm looking for him."

"Good," Harry said. He was confident that, if anyone could find Silas, it was Kevin. "Then I guess we should all get back to work."

*************

It was already dark when Harry and his team entered Knockturn Alley. They all wore black traveling cloaks, and they pulled their hoods up to conceal their faces. Since he was so well known, Harry took the added precaution of giving himself a short-cropped mustache and a beard to obscure his features.

"Alicia and I will go on from here," Harry said when they were half way down the alley. "We don't know how long we'll be or whether Dingo will even show up tonight. Just make sure nobody sees you unless we run into some kind of trouble and we signal you."

Seamus, Ben and Kevin nodded their agreement and Seamus said, "Be careful."

Harry placed his arm around Alicia's shoulders and she wrapped her arm around his waist. To the casual observer, they looked like a couple out for a nightly stroll as they headed farther down the dimly-lit alley. Although he knew he should not get his hopes up, Harry was in a much better mood than he had been in a very long time. It was possible they would be closer to unraveling the mystery of the Golden Masked Death Eater by the end of the night.

As they continued walking, they passed several other people wearing similar black cloaks with the hoods pulled up to conceal their faces. It seemed many who ventured into Knockturn Alley were not anxious to be recognized.

Harry and Alicia arrived in front of a pub and they could hear the faint din of music and murmurs of the clientele drifting out into the street. A black, weathered shingle with fading lettering hung above the rickety door marking it as the 'Dark Specter Tavern.' Harry placed his hand on the small of Alicia's back to allow her to go through the door ahead of him, but someone suddenly grabbed his other arm from behind and pulled him roughly backward.

Harry was caught off balance and he stumbled, but a pair of arms snaked tightly around his chest and steadied him. He started to bring his wand up, but the only threat he found were the sultry eyes of a heavily made-up blond Witch. Unlike the other cloaked figures they passed earlier, she was meagerly clothed in clinging black garments that left very little to the imagination.

"Easy, luv," she said, suggestively running her hand down his body. "What's say you drop yer girlfriend there an' then me an' you 'ave a little fun?"

"Sorry, I've got other plans tonight," Harry said, pulling his arm from her grasp.

Undeterred, she refused to relinquish her hold and then her similarly clad, dark-haired companion came up quickly on Harry's other side.

"Ye can be' we'll be more fun," the darker one cooed, rubbing against him. "I bet a young bloke like yerself would enjoy two fer the price of one, eh?"

"Definitely _not_ interested," Harry replied through gritted teeth, knocking away a groping hand and moving toward the tavern door.

Before he could completely disentangle himself from the women, Alicia moved behind them, grabbed the brunette by her hair and yanked her backward.

"Back off!" Alicia demanded, aiming her wand at the blonde. "He's _mine_!"

The blonde stepped away from Harry, but she and her companion were determined not to let their prospect get away; in the next instant they both had their wands trained on Alicia causing Harry to briefly wonder where the women could have possibly been hiding them.

"Oh, don't get yer knickers in a bunch, honey," the brunet chortled. "We won't keep 'im all night."

The blonde added confidently, "That's right. We'll give 'im back to ya after we've shown 'im a thing or two. Now go away, deary, before you get hurt."

Harry was about to step in to even the odds, but Alicia quickly moved in front of him and advanced on the two women.

"It's you and your friend who better go away, _deary_," Alicia said menacingly, pointing the tip of her wand directly in the blonde's face, "otherwise I'll see to it that no one will want to look at your face ever again. Got it?"

The blonde held her ground for only a moment, but then thought better of it.

"Come on, it ain't worth it," she said grudgingly to her companion, "she can 'ave 'im."

Alicia kept her eyes on the women until they disappeared down the alley and then she pocketed her wand looking rather satisfied with herself.

"Let's go," she said and when she turned back to Harry, she was him looking at her oddly.

"What?" Alicia asked defensively.

"Nothing," Harry said, sounding amused.

Alicia retorted, "I thought it best if I was the one to defuse the situation. Besides, it's fun to play the jealous girlfriend."

She wrapped her arm around Harry's and before they went through the tavern door he leaned close to her ear and whispered, "How long have you been going out with Lee Jordan?"

"We're going on eight months," she answered. "Why?"

"I was just wondering if I should warn him about how scary you'd be if you were ever really jealous."

Alicia glanced sideways at him and saw the grin forming on his face. She smirked, "He already knows."

A haze of smoke filled the air inside the dank tavern and Harry and Alicia made their way to a corner table toward the back of the room. They sat with their backs to the wall, which afforded them a good view of the bar and the entry door.

Three men were seated at the bar sipping drinks and paying no attention to anyone around them. A man and woman sat at the other end of the bar locked in intent conversation. There were four men playing a game of cards at a round table not far from where Harry and Alicia sat, and three other tables were occupied by men and a few women talking amongst themselves.

When the waitress approached their table, Harry moved closer to Alicia and took her hand into his.

The waitress asked in a bored voice, "What can I get you?"

Harry replied, "Two Firewhiskies."

The waitress only nodded and went back to the bar to place their order.

Alicia whispered in Harry's ear, "So, any guess whether one of the guys in here is Dingo?"

"Not yet," Harry replied, casually looking around.

Alicia eyed the lone men sitting at the bar. Two were dressed in the familiar black cloak and kept their hoods pulled up so she could not get a good look at either of their faces; but the man sitting closest to them was completely bald and wore a pair of faded blue jeans along with a short-sleeved work shirt that strained at the seams to contain his bulk. A charmed tattoo of a nude woman danced provocatively on his beefy upper arm.

Eying the tattoo with distaste, Alicia said, "Too bad you weren't able to get a description of him."

Another man entered the tavern and headed toward the bar. They heard him greet one of the others seated at the bar as 'Jacques' when he sat down next to him.

He observed, "Well, that's one down."

The waitress came back with their drinks, and when Harry paid her, she left again without saying a word.

"Real friendly sort, isn't she?" Alicia observed sarcastically.

"Real friendly," Harry agreed with a humorless smile as he picked up one of the grimy glasses and pretended to take a sip.

Harry and Alicia continued to observe the people around them and they kept their ears open as other men and a few women entered the tavern. Unfortunately, they did not hear or see anything to indicate whether Dingo was among them.

Finally, Harry said, "I think it's time for a more direct approach."

He waved his wand under the table, and the Firewhiskey in their glasses disappeared. Harry caught the waitress's attention and motioned for her to bring them two more drinks.

When she placed the fresh drinks in front of them, she asked, "Can I get you anything else?"

"As a matter of fact you can," Harry answered as he handed her two gold coins.

Her eyes widened in surprise when she looked at the two shiny galleons in her hand. It was more than she made in several good weeks working at the tavern.

"We need some help," Harry said.

Instantly the surprise in her eyes turned to suspicion.

Harry said, indicating the coins, "There are five more of those in it for you."

"What kind of help?" she asked cautiously.

Harry lowered his voice and answered, "We're looking for someone named Dingo, and we were told we might find him here."

"Dingo?" Surprise showed on the waitress's face again and she asked, "What do you want with him?"

Harry felt a sense of relief; the waitress's comment confirmed Dingo did frequent the tavern.

"There's something we'd like to hire him for," Harry replied casually. "A friend of ours told us he'd be perfect for the job, but we don't know what he looks like. Can you help us?"

The waitress squeezed the galleons in her hand, "Five more galleons and all I have to do is tell you who he is?"

"That's all," Harry answered pleasantly.

She leaned down and said quietly, "He isn't here, but he usually shows up around this time. I could let you know when comes in."

"That would be great," Harry said and she walked away.

People continued to come into the tavern. The two women who propositioned Harry walked in on each arm of a tall, surly-looking Wizard. The blonde recognized Harry and Alicia and she purposely steered her companions to the other side of the room.

It wasn't long after that when an unshaven man with graying blond hair came in. The waitress caught Harry's eye and she gave a subtle nod in the man's direction.

Harry whispered to Alicia, "That's him."

Dingo went to the bar and took the seat next to the man with the tattoo. His lined face was thin, and he was of average height; but other than that, he was fairly non-descript; it was no wonder Harry never noticed he was being followed.

The moment the bartender placed his drink in front of him, Dingo gulped it down and ordered a second, and then a third. He shot those down as well.

The tattooed man said, "Don'cha think you should be takin' it easy with the drink there?"

Dingo replied, "I deserve to reward myself. I've been workin' hard."

"Working hard have you?" The man snorted. "That'll be the day."

"I have been!" Dingo insisted. "And if you knew all I've been doin', you'd be fallin' all over yourself offerin' to buy me a drink or two!"

The man replied, "Still insisting you're helping him are you?"

"Didn't I tell you a few weeks ago that I've been doin' stuff for 'im?" Dingo said self-importantly as he finished another shot.

"Yeah, you did," the other man snorted, and then lowered his voice, "but all I know is that bloody Auror is still breathing."

Dingo also lowered his voice so Harry and Alicia had to strain to hear him, "Don't worry. He told me himself he'll be finishin' Potter off soon; there's just a few more things he's wantin' to do first. You'll see. Doin' in Potter's girlie was only the beginin'."

Hearing the men casually discussing Ginny's death sent Harry's temper flaring, and he balled his hands into tight fists; it was all he could do to keep from jumping across the room to beat the life out them.

Alicia felt Harry tense up next to her and she glanced worriedly at him. There was smoldering fury in his eyes and she saw an angry tick in his tightly clenched jaw.

"Stay calm," she whispered, locking her arm around his. "We'll get him, but we can't do it in here."

Harry forced himself to relax, but he was finding it difficult.

Dingo exchanged a few more words with the man that they could not hear and then he headed toward the door.

Alicia looked apprehensively at Harry and asked, "Are you going to be able to do this?"

Harry made no reply as he reached into his pocket and Alicia tried again, "Maybe I should go after him while you—"

"No!" Harry hissed. There was no way he would be deprived of confronting Dingo himself. "I'm fine. Let's go."

Alicia looked at him doubtfully as they stood up and Harry tossed five galleons on the table.

When they stepped outside, Dingo was heading in the opposite direction from where the rest of their team was waiting. Harry motioned to Alicia that they should split up, and he quickly crossed to the other side of the alley where he made his way up behind Dingo.

He called, "Hey! Wait!"

The man jumped noticeably and, whipping out his wand, turned toward the voice behind him.

"W-who is it? Who's there?" Dingo asked nervously, stopping in the dim light of a lamppost.

Harry walked slowly with his open hands held out from his sides to show Dingo he was not armed. He did not want to frighten him off before Alicia got into position.

"A friend," Harry said with forced composure. "I want to talk to you for a minute."

"I don't know you, so I got nothin' to say to you!"

Dingo pointed his wand at Harry's chest and started backing away; then he suddenly let out a startled yelp when his wand flew out of his hand and he felt the point of someone else's wand in his back.

Alicia said from behind him, "Just answer a few questions and we'll be on our way."

"Q-questions about w-what?"

Harry responded, "About the ones responsible for the Death Eater attack at Bill Weasley's cottage a while back."

Harry was standing directly in front of him, but even in the light of the lamp, the hood of his cloak kept his face obscured from Dingo's suddenly frightened gaze.

Dingo said nervously, "I don't know anythin' about a Death Eater attack!"

Harry pulled his wand out of the pocket of his cloak and slowly brought it within Dingo's view. Dingo followed its tip with his eyes until Harry placed it under the man's chin, causing him to swallow convulsively.

"W-what are you doin'?" Dingo asked fearfully. "I told you I don't know anythin'!"

"Oh, I think you do," Harry said, malice seeping into his almost whisper.

Dingo could still feel the point of the wand in his back so he could not back away when Harry moved so close that he came within inches of his face.

"But I'll jog your memory a bit, shall I?" Harry continued, pushing his wand into Dingo's throat. The tone of Harry's voice was so cold, it even sent chills up Alicia's spine. "It was the one where your boss murdered Harry Potter's _girlie_."

Dingo's mouth opened and closed several times like a fish out of water before he was able to say, "I-I don't… I-I didn't know they were g-goin' t-to… I j-just… wh-who are you?"

Harry replied, "Someone you'll regret meeting if you don't tell us all you know about the one who led the attack."

"I c-can't say anythin'!" Dingo insisted.

Alicia placed her hand on his shoulder, "You didn't have any trouble talking a few minutes ago."

"B-but he won't like it…" Dingo whined.

Harry was rapidly losing the delicate hold he was keeping on his temper. He grabbed Dingo by the collar of his robs and swung him around, slamming his back against the lamppost. Dingo let out a cry of pain from the impact.

"That's not my problem!" Harry hissed giving him a shake.

"I c-can't tell you anythin'! He'll get mad! He d-does things to people when he g-gets mad..," Dingo was shaking and fear was visibly etched on his face.

_"I want answers!"_ Harry gave him another hard shake.

Keeping a hold on Dingo with one hand, Harry reached up and pulled his hood back. He waved his wand in front of his face and his beard and mustache vanished. Dingo jumped with fright at Harry's sudden movement and then he gasped.

"You recognize me," Harry stated with a satisfied smirk.

Alicia stared at the uncharacteristic smirk and coldness in Harry's face in disbelief. She was beginning to suspect that Harry was enjoying this encounter with Dingo and the opportunity to take his anger and frustration out on the man.

"I said," Harry continued in a dangerously low voice, "I want answers and I really don't care what I have to do to get them out of you. So, either tell me who's responsible for killing Ginny Weasley or after I'm through, there won't be enough left of you for anyone to find!"

"Harry…" Alicia interjected tentatively, "you can't—"

"Stay out of this, Alicia!"

"But—"

"I said stay out of it!" Harry snapped at her.

He turned back to Dingo and demanded, "Who led the attack?"

"I don't know!"

Harry slammed his fist into Dingo's face and the man howled in pain as blood began to gush out of his broken nose.

"Let's try it again!" Harry said harshly. "Tell me who led the attack!"

"I told you I don't know who he is! No one does!" Dingo wailed. "He always wears a-a mask; a g-gold mask."

"I think he's telling the truth," Alicia said trying to intervene; to her knowledge, Harry had never before lost control of his temper so badly that he had struck a suspect.

Harry relaxed his grip slightly and asked, "The guy in the mask, he hired you to follow me?"

Dingo nodded, "Y-yes."

"Why?"

"To t-take Muggle photos of you."

"Muggle photos?" Harry questioned.

Dingo replied, "He said you wouldn't be able to detect a Muggle camera… and he wanted to know where you went with people you care about… who they are, and especially if there are places you go with them all the time."

Harry let go of Dingo's robes, "He's planning to go after my friends? That's what you meant back in the pub when you said that Ginny's death was only the beginning?"

"Y-yes," he replied and flinched when Harry brought his hand up to run it angrily through his hair.

Once Voldemort was gone, Harry thought it was the end of his worry about putting the people he cared about in danger. Ginny had already fallen victim to the killer, so, who would the next target be? Ron? Hermione? Any of the Weasleys?

Alicia asked, "Who were the other people in the photos with Harry?"

Dingo replied, "S-so far I only got his fiancée, the red-head and his Mudblood wife… the bloke who owns the joke shop in Diagon Alley and the kid."

Harry looked at him sharply, "The kid?"

"The one with the blue hair."

Harry swore under his breath; that meant Teddy was in danger, too.

Harry tried another question, "Do you know how the Death Eaters got through the wards Bill Weasley placed around the cottage?"

Dingo looked away nervously but he didn't answer.

Harry grabbed him by the collar again and slowly moved his wand down Dingo's arm, "Do I need to start removing limbs, or are you going to continue to cooperate?"

"No… please…" Dingo let out a frightened groan. "I can't say anythin' more!"

"Fine," Harry said sounding pleased. "Looks like I get to do this the hard way."

Harry's wand stopped at Dingo's wrist. _"Sectumsemp—"_

"Harry! No!" Alicia cried, bringing her hand down hard to knock his wand away from Dingo's wrist. Harry's wand shot out angry red sparks.

Harry looked at her furiously while continuing to keep his hold on Dingo. "I told you to stay out of this!"

"And you've told me what that curse does!" Alicia countered, looking at him as if he were a stranger. "I'm not going to let you cut his hand off!"

Dingo made a frightened sound, but they both ignored him.

"You'd regret it later," Alicia continued and she relaxed when Harry kept his wand at his side.

"I doubt it," Harry muttered under his breath and turned back to Dingo. "Well? Do you know how they got past the wards?"

The anger and menace that Dingo saw in Harry's eyes frightened him almost as much as the thought of what the golden-masked Death Eater might do to him. Given Harry was the most immediate threat, he reluctantly answered, "One time he said somethin' about his connection at the Ministry; said it would help him find out almost anythin'."

Harry and Alicia exchanged glances, each with the same thought; it seemed their suspicion that someone in the Auror Security Office was working for Death Eaters might be correct.

Alicia said, "No names or which department they work for in the Ministry?"

Dingo shook his head and he looked fearfully at Harry, "Honest! That's all I heard!"

"One more question," Harry said and Dingo seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.

"Do you know who he's planning to go after next and when?"

Dingo licked his lips nervously, and then he whispered, "T-tonight… it may already have happened."

"WHAT!" Harry roared, grabbing Dingo by the collar again, "You've _known_— and you didn't— _Who! WHERE?"_

Dingo cowered away from the look of pure rage on Harry's face. "I- I think he mentioned somewhere outside Saint Mungo's, maybe near the coffee shop."

Harry looked frantically at his watch and exclaimed, "Hermione! I swear, if anything's happened to her," he glared furiously into Dingo's eyes, "I'll find you and when I do, you'll be as good as dead!"

He shoved Dingo away from him so hard, the man fell to the ground.

"Come on!" He called to Alicia and started running toward where the rest of his team was waiting.

"Harry, what is it? What about Hermione?"

In between gasps for breath, Harry said, "It's Thursday— Hermione volunteers— every Thursday night at the hospital—Ginny, Ron and I used to go with her a lot of the times— she always goes to a Muggle coffee shop afterward— that's where she probably is right now—"

As they ran they finally saw Seamus, Kevin and Ben coming toward them.

Seamus said, "Did you find—"

"No time!" Harry gasped, "I need— all of you to come with me— to the street right outside Saint Mungo's! Be ready for a fight!"

Ben asked, "Why? What's happening?"

_"NOW!"_ Harry shouted and he Disapparated from Knockturn Alley.


	6. Casualties Mount

**Chapter 6: Casualties Mount  
**

Within seconds, Harry was standing on the sidewalk near Saint Mungo's fully expecting to arrive in the middle of a Death Eater attack. He frantically looked up and down the street but it was quiet, with the exception of the sound of his team Aparating beside him.

All four of them surrounded him with their wands drawn, searching for any sign of trouble.

"I don't see anything out of the ordinary," Kevin said, but he continued to scan the surrounding area. "Why'd you think there would be a problem?"

"He said it was happening tonight… here…" Harry said, peering into every shadow.

"Do you think he lied?" Alicia asked glancing at Harry. "Just to get us to leave."

Harry growled, "I swear I really am going to kill him!"

"Kill him…?" Seamus asked with raised eyebrows. "Who?"

"Harry, what's going on?" Ben demanded, pocketing his wand.

Instead of answering, Harry started walking toward the coffee shop, scanning both sides of the street while Alicia gave the others a quick synopsis of what Dingo had told them.

When Harry was halfway between the coffee shop and where his team stood in rapt attention listening to Alicia's explanation, he saw the familiar form of Hermione come around the corner from the other side of the shop.

"Hermione!" he called to her. She stopped with her hand on the door of the shop and turned toward the sound of her name. Harry breathed a sigh of relief thinking Alicia must have been right; Dingo gave them false information which he knew Harry would not risk ignoring.

"Harry?" she called back in surprise when she recognized him.

She walked toward him with a smile of greeting on her face. Then she noticed Seamus and Alicia standing in the distance behind him and she called, "What are you doing—"

There was a flash of blinding light accompanied by a deafening explosion that slammed Harry backward onto the hard pavement. Stars exploded behind his eyes when something sharp and heavy struck the side of his head, and glass and rubble rained down upon him, pummeling his body. Gasping for breath, he shook off the darkness threatening to engulf him and struggled unsteadily to his feet, ignoring the pain from the glass that had penetrated his skin through his robes.

A heavy cloud of dust and smoke made it nearly impossible to breathe, but Harry desperately searched for the spot where he thought Hermione had been standing last. All he could see was billowing smoke that was glowing yellow and orange from the blazing fire burning within the destroyed building. Shards of glass, chunks of brick and splintered wood littered the ground all around him, but he saw no sign of Hermione.

The heat of the fire felt like it might sear his skin, even under his clothing, and his legs shook unsteadily under his weight. Something warm and sticky flowed down the side of his face and arm, but he pushed himself forward. He had to find Hermione; although a part of him was terrified of what he would see when he did.

He stumbled when his foot caught under a large chunk of splintered wood and Kevin was suddenly there beside him, gripping his arm, "Take it easy, Harry."

"Hermione…" Harry rasped, "We've got to find her!"

"Alicia and Seamus are looking for her," Ben answered.

"You'd better sit down," Kevin said, looking at the wound on his head worriedly, "you're bleeding pretty badly."

"No!" Harry said, wrenching his arm out of Kevin's grasp. "I have to—"

Harry staggered and Kevin steadied him. "Harry, they'll find her," he said. "Now sit down so we can see how badly you're hurt."

"But I have to know…" Harry couldn't finish. His mind didn't want to form the thought that Hermione had been taken from him, too.

Through a momentary thinning of the smoke, Harry saw Alicia and Seamus working hurriedly to lift chunks of debris off of someone lying on the ground. He rushed over and fell to his knees to help them uncover Hermione's body. Her features were barely recognizable under the blood, dust and dirt covering her face.

"Hermione! Please be alive!" Harry prayed, but when he placed his trembling fingers on her throat, he could not feel a pulse. He let out an agonized moan and covered his face with both of his shaking hands.

Seamus started to ask fearfully, "Harry, is she…" but he could not finish the thought.

Harry was too immersed in a world of misery to answer; the unhealed wound left on his heart and soul in the wake of Ginny's death had been brutally torn afresh. Images of Hermione and the explosion flashed before him; but then Hermione's form distorted and changed into Ginny's and again he saw the fear in her eyes just before she screamed and plunged over the cliff.

Muggles and Wizards alike arrived to battle the fire while others gathered to watch the excitement in morbid curiosity. Security Aurors and Healers from Saint Mungo's came rushing from the hospital and two of them ran over to their small group.

Harry was oblivious to everything that was happening around him. All he could see was Hermione's lifeless body lying in front of him and he knelt more closely over her.

"I can't lose you, too…" he whispered as his tears, mingled with his blood, dripped onto her face. He gently brushed them away, leaving behind streaks of red mud.

"Easy, son," one Healer said to Harry as several other people from Saint Mungo's ran over with stretchers.

Ben, Kevin, Seamus and Alicia stood back with the growing crowd, watching helplessly as the Healer bent down beside Harry and Hermione.

"We'll take care of her from here," the Healer said gently. He reached to pull Harry back so he could examine Hermione.

"Don't touch me!" Harry hissed angrily, slapping the Healer's hand away.

"Harry, they're trying to help," Alicia said shakily, kneeling beside him. "You have to let the Healer take a look at her."

Harry appeared not to hear her and she placed one hand on his shoulder and the other under his chin to force his head up so he had to look at her.

"Harry!" Alicia said more forcefully, giving his shoulder a firm shake. "Let them help."

It took a moment for him to focus on her face before he said, "I was too late." Alicia saw the torment in his eyes, "I couldn't get to her in time to save her either…"

"I'm so sorry," she said gently, sniffing back tears of her own, "but there was nothing more you could have done."

Harry bowed his head in defeat and finally allowed Alicia to help him stand up. The Healer hurried to place Hermione onto one stretcher while the second Healer tried getting Harry to lie down on the other.

"I want to stay with her!" Harry insisted and he began to struggle.

Alicia and Seamus tried to hold him down so the other Healer could run his wand over Harry's body.

"You need to remain still, Mr. Potter," the Healer admonished gently. "You'll make your injuries worse."

_"Let go of me!"_ Harry roared, shoving Alicia and Seamus away from him.

"You're leaving me no choice," the Healer said regretfully and quickly touched the tip of his wand to Harry's temple. Harry's eyes rolled backward and he collapsed, unconscious, onto the stretcher.

**********

Bright light was shining through Harry's eyelids and there was a dull throbbing in his head. He heard movement to his right, and when he opened his eyes, everything was out of focus. But even so, nothing about his surroundings seemed familiar. As his senses began coming back to him, he realized he was lying in a bed. A light blanket was pulled up to his waist and he was not wearing a shirt. He weakly moved to sit up but the throbbing in his head immediately gave way to an excruciating pounding that caused him to let out a hiss of pain.

The blurry form of someone in white came quickly over to him, "Take it easy, Mr. Potter. You've had a nasty blow to the head."

Harry relaxed back onto the bed and placed his hand on his aching head where he felt a soft cloth bandage. A second bandage was wrapped around his right arm, from his wrist to just below his shoulder.

"What happened?" Harry asked hoarsely as the Healer helped him to sit up slowly.

"There was an explosion," the Healer said, handing Harry his glasses. As he attached a sling around Harry's neck to secure his injured arm, he continued, "You were hit by the debris. You have a mild concussion and I just finished removing several sizable pieces of glass from your arm."

"An explosion?" Harry questioned in confusion, and then it came flooding back to him; he remembered calling to Hermione just before a horrendous explosion and then cradling her lifeless body in his arms.

"Hermione," Harry whispered miserably and tightly closed his eyes in the wave of loss and sorrow that flowed over him.

"Hermione," the Healer paused and repeated the name. "If I remember correctly, she's one of your friends who helped you during the war, isn't she?"

"Yeah," Harry answered quietly, bringing the hand of his uninjured arm up to pinch the bridge of his nose between his fingers. He wiped away the wetness of several stray tears he was unable to fight back.

"I'm sorry," the Healer said sympathetically. "But she is very fortunate she wasn't inside the building when it happened. So far, they have found three other people who weren't as lucky."

"She's fortunate?" Harry gaped at the Healer. "You mean— she's alive?"

"Yes, she's alive," the Healer replied.

"How badly was she hurt?" Harry asked urgently. "Is she going to be okay?"

The Healer replied, "I have been appraised on neither her condition, nor the extent of her injuries. However I do know she has several of our best Healers with her, and I'm confident if anyone can help her, they can."

Hermione had not been killed by the explosion! Harry's feeling of relief nearly made him dizzy. He swung his legs over the side of the bed, ignoring the pounding throb the movement renewed in his head.

"Where do you think you're going?" The Healer asked, placing a restraining hand on his shoulder.

"I want to see her," Harry answered, "and her family needs to know what happened."

"I'd prefer that you stay here and rest. I'd like to keep an eye on you for a few hours before you leave," the Healer admonished. "Her husband and family have already been notified."

"I'm not staying in bed!" Harry shook the Healer's hand away and replied stubbornly, "And I'm going to go see her whether I have your permission or not!"

The Healer read the determination in Harry's eyes and decided it was useless to argue.

"Very well," he said reluctantly. "But afterward, you are to go home and rest. And I don't want you going back to work next week, until I've had the chance to examine you again."

Harry nodded his agreement and the Healer helped him into a hospital robe, "Your friends are waiting for you in the hall. They can escort you to her room."

The Healer opened the door for him and the four members of his team quickly leapt from their chairs and rushed over to him.

"Harry!" Seamus spoke first, although the look in his eyes was wary. "How are you?"

"I'm fine," he replied quietly.

"You don't look fine," Ben replied. "Actually you look like you've been through hell—"

Alicia jabbed Ben with her elbow and Seamus tossed him an irritated look, but Harry ignored the comment. He was actually starting to feel embarrassed for the way he reacted after the explosion.

He noticed they were all watching him carefully. "Look, I'm er… sorry for earlier… I thought…"

"Don't worry about it, Harry," Kevin assured him. "We all understand."

"Thanks," he said gratefully. "I want to go see how Hermione's doing."

"I checked on her a few minutes ago," Alicia said. "They let Ron and her parents in to her room just before I came back down here."

"And?" Harry pressed.

"She was injured pretty badly," Alicia answered. "But they were able to stabilize her, and she's going to be okay."

Feeling extremely relieved, Harry walked down the hall with them toward Hermione's room. "Have you been able to determine what caused the explosion?"

Ben answered, "It was a Muggle bomb."

"A _Muggle_ bomb?" Harry stopped and stared at him in surprise. "The lunatic has Muggles working for him, too?"

"A Wizard can construct a bomb just as easily as a Muggle," Ben replied. "Although I don't see why anyone would. They're crude weapons."

Kevin said, "After the Healers took care of you and Hermione, we stayed to help search for victims and to see if we could find any clues as to who was behind it."

"There's no doubt Wizards were involved, though," Seamus added. "Even with the strength of the blast, we were able to detect magical energy at the site."

Harry asked, "How many casualties were there?"

Ben answered, "We found two people hurt nearby, but alive. Three people were in the building when it happened."

"Whoever is behind it doesn't care how many people he hurts or kills," Alicia said angrily. "It's a good thing you called Hermione when you did. If she hadn't been walking toward us…"

Harry shuddered, thinking about how close it had been. If they had arrived a moment later or if Hermione had been in the coffee shop at her regular time, she would have been the fourth person to die in the blast.

Harry said, almost to himself, "Hermione was late."

"What?" Kevin asked and they all looked at Harry in confusion.

"When Dingo told us something was going to happen tonight, I looked at my watch," Harry explained. "It was 10:25."

"So?" Ben questioned.

"Hermione is punctual," Harry answered. "She likes routine and she's nearly always on time. Her volunteer shift at the hospital ends at ten o'clock. Then she heads right over to the coffee shop and she gets there by 10:10. Harvey always joked he could set his watch by her."

Harry's anger gave way to sadness when he thought about Harvey, the portly middle-aged Muggle owner of the coffee shop. He had emigrated from America after he married his British wife and he must have been one of the people killed in the explosion. Harvey was a happy-go-lucky man who always met his customers with a smile. Harry and Ginny were in the coffee shop with Hermione and Ron only a week before the Death Eater attack at Bill's. Harvey had told them his daughter was expecting his first grandchild and he was looking forward to teaching him or her how to play an American Muggle game called baseball.

Harry finally continued, "Hermione always orders some kind of snack as well as something for Ron for breakfast the next morning. She'd chat with Harvey and she'd always head home between 10:25 and 10:30."

Harry looked at Alicia, "The pictures Dingo said he took…"

Alicia nodded, picking up on his train of thought, "He said whoever hired him wanted to know if there were places you frequently went with anyone."

"Then he must have figured out Hermione's schedule because of the times Ginny and I went with her." Harry thought for a moment and asked Seamus, "Aren't Muggle bombs usually on some kind of timer?" Seamus' father was a Muggle so, other than Harry, he was the only member of the team who had grown up with knowledge of the non-magical world.

"Sometimes," Seamus replied. "But they can also be triggered by a remote."

"A what?" Alicia asked.

"A remote," Seamus answered. "It's a device Muggles use to control something from a distance since they can't use magic."

Harry said, "But if this guy wanted to kill Hermione, why did it go off _after_ she walked away or not sometime between 10:10 and 10:25 when she would normally be inside?"

Alicia said, "So it doesn't make sense a timer was used."

Seamus continued, "Nor does it make sense it was set off remotely because if someone was watching and waiting to trigger it, they would have known she didn't go inside."

"Exactly," Harry replied. "I'd bet almost anything the magic you detected was used to set it off when Hermione arrived."

"I don't know," Ben said doubtfully, "targeting a specific individual would require some pretty difficult magic."

"But it can be done by someone who knows what they were doing," Kevin added.

Harry replied, "So we're in the same place with what happened tonight as we are with the attack. Creating new or complicated spells is not something a lot of Wizards can easily do. If we can figure out who developed the charms or curses used to trigger the explosion and that enable unconscious Death Eaters to Disapparate, it may provide us with a clue about the golden-masked Death Eater's identity. Or at least help us to find his accomplices."

They were nearing the end of the hallway and Harry saw that Molly and Arthur Weasley were just coming out of Hermione's room.

Kevin said, "Then that's where we'll start first thing in the morning."

"Speaking of which," Harry said, "you guys should go on home. There's nothing more you can do tonight."

They said their goodbyes, admonishing him to go home soon so he could rest as Molly and Arthur came up to him.

"Oh, Harry!" Molly cried, hugging him tightly, but carefully, to avoid hurting his injured arm. "Thank the stars you weren't both killed!"

When she stepped back, she scrutinized his bandaged head, and Harry could see the haunted look in her red, swollen eyes. Molly was still having a difficult time dealing with her daughter's death and he knew the attack on her daughter-in-law had to have shaken her as much as it had him.

She gave him a tenuous smile and said, "We were about to go to see you. How are you feeling?"

"I've got a bit of a headache," Harry answered. "How's Hermione doing?"

Arthur replied tiredly, "She's out of danger now, but we won't know how much of a recovery she'll need until after she wakes up."

"And Ron…?" Harry asked tentatively.

Arthur answered, "He's upset and worried, of course; as are we all."

"Why don't you go on in," Molly said, dabbing her eyes with a handkerchief. "Ron will be relieved to see that you are alright. Hermione's parents are still in there but I think he can use your support as well."

Harry didn't move. He was the reason Ron's sister was dead and his wife was deliberately targeted and nearly killed. Harry was starting to wonder whether Ron was going to want him to stay away from him and his family from now on; not that Harry would blame him.

Without looking at Molly, Harry answered, "Maybe it would be better for me to wait until later."

"That's ridiculous!" Molly admonished, "He'll want to see you."

"But the attack—"

"Was not your fault," Arthur interrupted giving Harry a stern look. "Neither attack was your fault."

"Go on in," Molly insisted. "Tell Ron that Arthur and I will be back in a bit."

She gave him a gentle push toward the door and Harry reluctantly went in.

Ron was sitting with his back to the door, but Harry could see he was holding Hermione's hand in both of his. Mr. and Mrs. Granger were sitting in chairs on the other side of her bed.

"Harry!" Mr. Granger stood up and came over to shake the hand of his uninjured arm. "We heard you had been injured, too. How are you doing?"

"I'm okay, thanks," Harry replied quietly.

Hermione's mother came over with tears in her eyes. She hugged him and he had to grit his teeth to keep from letting out a hiss of pain from the pressure it put on his bandaged arm.

"Thank you," she said tearfully and hugged him even tighter. "Thank you so very much!"

Harry looked at Mr. Granger over her shoulder who answered his questioning look, "Your friend, Alicia, told us what happened. If you and your team had not shown up when you did, our daughter would have been in that building tonight."

Mrs. Granger released him and Harry mumbled, "No thanks are necessary, Mrs. Granger, really."

Harry glanced toward Ron and frowned. He did not think it was a good sign that Ron had not turned around to greet him or at least acknowledge his presence.

Mrs. Granger noticed the look of concern that crossed Harry's face when he looked at her son-in-law. She wiped her eyes and said to her husband, "Now that we know Hermione is out of danger, I think I am finally feeling hungry. She's in good company here with Ron and Harry, so I think it will be okay if we step out for a few minutes."

Mr. Granger seemed surprised by his wife's change of topic but he followed her toward the door and said, "We'll be back soon."

When they left, Harry moved tentatively toward the bed. He stopped beside Ron to gaze down at Hermione. The grime and blood had been cleaned away and there were now several bandages on her too pale face.

Harry glanced at Ron who still had not moved. His throat suddenly went dry but he felt the need to say something.

"I'm sorry…" Harry said uncertainly. "I, er, don't know what else I can say..."

Ron remained silent, but Harry knew he had heard him because the redhead took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

Harry stood in the uncomfortable silence a few moments longer, but then he slowly turned to leave.

"Harry."

Harry stopped and looked back. The emotion in the two syllables of his name leaving Ron's lips conveyed more pain and anger than a litany of words ever could.

Ron stood suddenly to face him and Harry thought he saw accusation in his best friend's eyes before Ron focused his gaze down at the floor.

"Hermione's mum is right," Ron said at last.

Ron looked back at him and whatever Harry thought he had seen in his eyes was gone. "If you hadn't found out what he planned to do, Hermione would have been in that building when it happened."

It was Harry's turn to look away uncomfortably, and he replied quietly, "He did it because of me. He killed Ginny and tonight he tried to kill Hermione to hurt me."

"I know," Ron said flatly.

Ron moved toward him, "Remember what Hermione kept telling you after Ginny…" The death of his sister was still incredibly painful for him to discuss, and he took a steadying breath before he could go on. "…after it happened? She told you that you can't blame yourself."

Harry shrugged replied skeptically to which Ron responded, "I don't."

"No?" Harry asked, not believing him.

"No," Ron stated evenly and continued, "The guy's a sick bastard! But we'll find him and stop him and he'll pay for what he's done."

"You're on his list, too, you know," Harry said. "So is the rest of your family, I recon."

Ron replied, "It's not like the Weasleys haven't dealt with something like this before. We're all more than willing to do it again if that's what has to be done."

Harry looked at him in confused disbelief and Ron explained, "As I recall, my entire blood-traitor family was on the Ministry's black list during the war. We were all in danger then because we befriended and supported Undesirable Number One."

"I suppose that's true," Harry conceded. Ron's nonchalance didn't make him feel any better. "But this isn't quite the same and you know it."

"It doesn't matter— to any of us," Ron stated. "I know for a fact that I speak for every member of my family; even Percy. None of us blames you for what happened to Ginny or for tonight. We've all considered you part of the family for a long time now, and we still do. We won't blame you for something that's not your fault. I just can't tell you enough how thankful I am that you showed up when you did tonight."

Ron held out his hand and when Harry took it, Ron pulled him into a brotherly hug and whispered shakily, "Thank you."

When they stepped back, Ron scrutinized Harry's tired face and said, "Why don't you go, mate. You look like hell."

"People keep telling me that," Harry griped.

"Well, it's true," Ron said. "You definitely look like you can use some sleep. Go on home. I'll let you know when Hermione wakes up."

"I probably should." Harry agreed. He felt the fatigue really starting to settle in now. "I guess I'll see you later then."

Harry took one last look at Hermione's peacefully sleeping form, gave a silent prayer of thanks of his own, and left for home.

***********

He donned the mask so there was no chance of anyone recognizing him but, still, he kept to the shadows as he made his way toward the flat. He wanted to be certain the imbecile did not run.

To say he was not in a good mood was an understatement. Things did not go according to plan earlier in the evening and the Mudblood was still alive. Although, as he stood amongst the many other onlookers, he was somewhat placated by Potter's reaction when he thought the bitch was dead. He had chosen his first targets well, for it seemed Potter was already nearing the edge; but there was more suffering ahead for the Boy-Who-Lived before he ended the life that the Dark Lord could not.

His anger momentarily gave way to great anticipation when he thought about how he would do it. He had already decided he would not use Magic. Instead, he was going to kill Potter with his own hands; and he would do it slowly, so he could savor every second of it. Everything was leading to the moment when he would finally watch the life in Potter's green eyes fade and die.

He entered the rundown building and the smell of mold and rotting rubbish assaulted his nostrils. He heard a noise up ahead and he paused until he realized it was only two rats fighting over a morsel of food they had discovered.

The passageway was dark and he made a small sweeping motion with his wand. Detecting no human presence between him and the flat above, he lit the wand and pressed onward. He soundlessly climbed the rickety stairway to the second floor and came to a stop in front of the door marked number twenty-seven. Several soft thumps issued from behind the portal, telling him the idiot was still awake; that would make the encounter all the more gratifying. He easily dispensed with the weak charm protecting the entrance and opened the door.

There was enough light shining through the window from the streetlamp for him to see Dingo on the other side of the room, grabbing items from a drawer and throwing them into a sack on the floor.

"Going somewhere?" he asked in a casual tone.

Dingo let out a startled yelp and spun around, pointing his wand toward the voice. The Death Eater casually flicked his wand and Dingo's wand flew toward him and he easily caught it.

"Oh, i-it's you," Dingo said nervously.

"Were you expecting someone else?" he asked, continuing to keep his tone friendly.

"N-no… of course not," Dingo answered unconvincingly.

"It's an odd time for packing," he said, indicating the opened sack with a motion of his hand. "You're not thinking of dissolving our partnership, I hope. I would find that disappointing."

Dingo replied, "I-I just got it in my head that I should be movin'… you know… f-find another place."

"I see," he said, "I'm relieved. I thought for a moment you were planning to run and hide."

"I have no reason to hide," Dingo insisted, but he fidgeted nervously and his eyes darted anxiously between the Death Eater and the door.

"I think you were expecting someone," he stated. "Harry Potter, perhaps?"

"Potter?" Dingo asked, his voice raising an octave. "W-why would I be expectin' him?"

"Please don't insult me with your lies!" he said, now letting impatience slip into his voice. He walked over to a small table, picked up an open flask and sniffed the top. He smelled the repugnant odor of cheap Muggle whiskey and he set it back down in distaste.

He said, "Tonight did not go as I wanted."

Dingo watched the Death Eater cautiously as he nonchalantly picked up a magazine from the table and looked at it briefly before tossing it back to its place.

"B-but I heard that it blew up!" Dingo replied in surprise.

"It did," he responded. "Unfortunately, she was only injured because Potter showed up in time to call her away. Now, my question is, was Potter's and his team's appearance just a coincidence, or did he know?"

The Death Eater placed his wand in the pocket of his robe and began to roll Dingo's wand between his fingers.

He continued, "How could Potter have known when and where it was going to happen?"

"I… I d-don't know," Dingo said. He licked his lips nervously and his eyes darted toward the door again.

"I have already told you not to lie to me!" The Death Eater hissed dangerously. "You may be skilled at following Potter without his knowledge, but you don't know how to keep your mouth shut! There are at least a half dozen people who heard you bragging that I hired you to follow him."

Dingo protested, "Then one of them must have run to Potter and—"

The masked Death Eater interrupted him and said angrily, "So you are admitting to telling others about my plan to kill Potter's friend tonight?"

"I knew not to tell anyone about tonight—" Dingo answered unconvincingly.

"I think Potter did find out was going to happen tonight from you," the Death Eater said. He advanced slowly on Dingo who began to cower in front of him. "What else did you tell him? Did you inform him about what I asked you to do for me and why?"

"I didn't want to!" Dingo whined. "He f-found me in Knockturn Alley… you should have seen him— he's a nutter, that one! He broke my nose! See!" He pointed to his swollen nose. "Then he said he was going to do somethin' terrible to me!"

"So now he's been warned about who my next targets may be. That is going to make my plans more difficult to carry out," the masked Death Eater said scrutinizing the trembling man before him. "And now you're frightened because you know Potter will be coming after you. And why wouldn't he? Your bragging has provided him with his only link to me, not to mention he'll probably be looking to take out some of his vengeance on you for what happened to his fiancée and friend. I'd hand you to him myself if I didn't know you'd tell him everything else to try to save your worthless hide."

Dingo dropped to the floor to bow before the Death Eater, "P-please! I'll go somewhere that he can't find me and I won't say anythin' to him or anyone else again! I promise! You have to believe I won't!"

The Death Eater gazed down at him and said sympathetically, "I believe you, Dingo."

Dingo looked up, relief showing on his face until he saw the tip of his own wand pointing at him.

_"Avada Kedavra!"_

Dingo was dead in a flash of green light before he could even move. The golden-masked Death Eater dropped the wand beside Dingo's body and he quickly left as silently as he came.


	7. Deranged Accusations

**Chapter 7: Deranged Accusations **

A belated Happy New Year to everyone. It's taken me a while to update, but with the holidays, I barely had time to breathe, let alone write. I'll try to do better. As always, thanks go out to my beta, Ginny Guerra!

Dawn was breaking when Harry stumbled shakily down the stairway to his living room and into the kitchen. His heart was still pounding as he collapsed wearily onto one of the chairs at the kitchen table and put his face into his trembling hands. After he returned home from the hospital he had crawled into bed and immediately fallen asleep. But the nightmare was waiting for him, as terrifying and as real as ever— and much, much worse.

Ginny still stood frozen at the edge of the cliff, her beautiful, frightened eyes locked with his; but this time, the golden masked Death Eater spoke before Harry was forced to helplessly watch her fall screaming off the cliff.

_"You couldn't help them. They're dead because of you…"_

The Death Eater gestured toward Harry's feet and when he looked down, to his horror, he saw Hermione lying on the ground in front of him. Her hair was splayed around her pale face in a tangled, bloody halo and her eyes stared lifelessly up at him.

Then Ron suddenly appeared next to Hermione, lying just as still, his eyes staring, just as dead. Blood oozed from Ron's mouth and nose and he was holding a small bundle close to his chest. Talons of ice savagely tore through Harry's insides as the scene morphed slowly before him and the small, bloodied form of his godson appeared motionless within the cradle of his best friend's dead arms.

Harry screamed out every bit of his anguish, fury and denial of the horrific scene before him and threw himself toward Ginny. He could still save her if he moved fast enough, but just as he reached out to her, she fell backward, over the cliff.

That was when Harry jolted awake with Ginny's scream of terror ringing in his ears, and his shaking body drenched in sweat.

Sitting at the table in the dim, early morning light, Harry's heart rate was returning to normal as he continued trying to convince himself that it was only a nightmare. Teddy was home, safe with Andromeda, and Ron was most likely still at the hospital by Hermione's side. He would see them later in the day, but that knowledge was not enough to shake off the premonition of dread that he felt.

He took deep, calming breaths and focused his thoughts on something other than the gory scenes of his nightmare. If he was to get more information to help him track down Ginny's killer, he had to talk to Dingo again. The Healer told him to rest, but there was no way he was going to stay home like an invalid. Dingo was his only lead, and Harry was certain there was more he could tell him, given the proper motivation. This time he would go after Dingo alone so there was no chance of Alicia, or anyone else, stopping him from getting the information he needed.

Harry heard a crack and Kreacher appeared beside him in a low bow, "Master Harry came home much too late this morning."

It never ceased to amaze Harry how Kreacher always seemed to know when he arrived home or when he woke up.

"Master is hurt!" Kreacher croaked, looking Harry over worriedly. "The Dark Wizards that killed my new Mistress are trying to harm my Master."

"So it seems," Harry answered. "They also tried to kill Hermione last night and they almost succeeded. She's in Saint Mungo's so I'll be heading over there soon to see how she's doing."

"Master must be more careful and not let harm come to him!" Kreacher admonished.

Harry surmised that most house elves were not in the habit of discussing their feelings with their masters and he assumed this was Kreacher's way of telling Harry he was worried about him.

"I'll do my best, Kreacher," Harry replied.

The old elf eyed him skeptically but only said, "Kreacher will have Master's breakfast ready for him very soon."

"I'm not hungry," Harry replied. "Just a cup of your strongest coffee will be fine."

"As you wish," Kreacher bowed again and as he turned, Harry heard the elf's disapproving mumble that sounded something like, "Master is wanting to starve himself again."

Harry ignored the elf's mutterings and wearily rubbed the spot between his eyes with his thumb and index finger. Before he climbed into bed only a few hours earlier, he had removed the sling the Healer had put on him, but his arm was now beginning to ache. It looked like he would have to keep wearing the stupid thing for the next few days. He also felt extremely tired. If he did not want to see Ron and Hermione so badly, especially in the wake of the nightmare, he might have considered going back to bed and attempt to get some more sleep; of course there was a good chance that he would have the nightmare again, which was enough to keep him from seeking out his bed for as long as possible.

Kreacher brought over a large mug of coffee and set it on the table in front of him.

"Thanks," Harry said appreciatively. He took a large swallow of the hot liquid and savored the warming sensation as it traveled down his throat.

A scratching at the kitchen window drew their attention and Harry looked over to see an unfamiliar tawny owl sitting on the window ledge with a small envelope in its beak. With a snap of his fingers, Kreacher magically opened the window to allow the owl entry. It flew to Harry, dropped the letter in front of him and immediately flew back out of the window again. Harry reached for the letter, assuming it was from Ron, hopefully sending him news that Hermione was awake. Instead, he was surprised to see the seals of the Ministry and the Auror Department.

Curious as to why his own department would be contacting him in such an officious manner, he opened the letter and began to read.

_To: Harry James Potter, Lead Auror, First Class_

_You are hereby summoned to the office of Auror Candlehard, Director, at precisely the hour of nine o'clock in the morning of this day to provide information relating to a criminal investigation. Your attendance is mandatory under Wizarding Law 3452, Section 47.3; noncompliance with this summons will result in a one-month sentence served in Azkaban Prison._

_You are not required to be accompanied by legal counsel at this time, although your rights under Wizarding law allow for such counsel to be present, if you so choose._

_We look forward to meeting with you._

_Most sincerely yours,_

_Svenson Jodfree, Auror, First Class  
Jeremy Arnold, Auror, Second Class  
Auror Internal Investigative Affairs  
Ministry of Magic_

"What the hell…?" he crumpled the letter irritably and threw it onto the table. What criminal investigation?

Internal Investigative Affairs only became involved in cases where an Auror was suspected of some kind of wrong-doing. The only investigation he had been involved with over the past several months was the attack at Bill and Fleur's. Perhaps it had something to do with the bombing of the coffee shop the previous night; but why officially summon him instead of just asking him to come into the office so they could speak with him? It didn't make sense.

Harry glanced at the clock on the wall which read 7:50.

"Looks like I'll be going into the office before I head over to the hospital," he said to Kreacher as he got up to go shower and change. "If you hear anything from Ron, you can reach me there."

*********

An hour later, Harry strode down a Ministry hallway toward his boss's office, but the purpose for the summons still had him baffled.

He entered a large room that held numerous offices for various directors and desks for their assistants. Director Candlehard's assistant was a young, pretty brunette named Stacie who usually blushed and smiled at Harry whenever he came in to meet with the director. Today when she glanced up, her sympathetic eyes took in his bandaged head and arm, but she would not look him in the eyes.

She hurriedly busied herself with the paperwork in front of her and Harry held out the wrinkled summons, "I have a nine o'clock meeting with Director Candlehard."

"Yes, Auror Potter," she replied in a very businesslike tone without looking up, "he'll be with you in a moment. Please have a seat. His current meeting should be wrapping up momentarily."

Harry sat in the indicated chair and looked at his watch; it was exactly nine o'clock. Several uncomfortable minutes passed and the Director's door remained closed.

Finally, Harry asked, "Do you have any idea what they want to meet with me about?"

Stacie froze in mid task and replied hesitantly, "I'm really not at liberty to say…"

"Right," Harry responded. "I shouldn't have asked. Sorry."

Stacie looked at him apologetically, "But I want you to know that I don't believe for one moment that you—"

Auror Candlehard's office door suddenly opened, halting her words. Harry stood up and he was surprised to see Seamus Finnegan exit the room, looking red in the face and very angry. He halted in mid-stride when he saw Harry.

"Harry…" Seamus said, just as startled to see him. "I tried to tell them—"

"That is all, Finnegan," a tall, blond, muscular Auror standing in the office doorway commanded. He looked to be in his late twenties and Harry recognized him as Svenson Jodfree.

"Yes, _sir_," Seamus replied in an exaggerated tone. Then Harry heard him add more quietly as he left, "You pompous arse."

Stacie continued to keep herself busy with her paperwork but Harry thought he saw a guarded smile cross her face upon hearing Seamus's remark.

Jodfree beckoned Harry into the office, "Auror Potter."

His ice-blue eyes bored coldly into Harry's but Harry refused to break eye contact until Director Candlehard addressed him from his seat behind his desk, "Harry, please come in."

Harry walked farther into the office and noticed the presence of a third man whom he assumed to be Auror Jeremy Arnold. He was as slight of build as Jodfree was muscular; he had a pencil thin mustache and his thinning dark hair was brushed across the top of his head, unsuccessfully hiding the fact that he was balding.

Director Candlehard confirmed Harry's assumptions when he introduced the two men. "Harry, this is Auror Arnold and Auror Jodfree, both from the Auror Internal Investigative Affairs office."

Harry ignored them and immediately addressed his director, "Why were you meeting with a member of my team without first notifying me? At least that was my understanding of how normal protocol is supposed to work."

"Nothing about this is normal," Jodfree answered from the door which he had not yet shut.

"Please, Harry, take a seat," Candlehard said. "I'm sure we'll have everything cleared up quickly."

"Have _what _cleared up?" Harry demanded. "I have no idea why I'm even here!"

Harry heard a derisive snort from behind him and the director shot Jodfree a warning look. Then Director Candlehard rolled his eyes in disgust and exclaimed, "Merlin's beard, Svenson! Do you really think that's necessary?"

"It's just a precaution," Jodfree replied haughtily.

Harry turned to see two extremely large Aurors dressed in Security Department robes enter the office with their wands drawn. They both made even Jodfree appear short as they moved past him. The top of Harry's head was barely even with their shoulders and he recognized the ploy as an obvious attempt to intimidate him. They kept their eyes focused on him as they took up positions on opposite sides of the office, while Jodfree finally shut the door.

Harry turned back to Candlehard angrily, "Would someone mind telling me what's going on?"

Harry was still standing in front of the director's desk and Jodfree said, "Please hand me your wand, Auror Potter, and then sit down."

Harry took a breath to protest, but Candlehard spoke first, "Harry, just let them take a look at your wand."

Since his right arm was in the sling, Harry had to clumsily use his left hand to retrieve his wand. When he reached inside his robes, the security Aurors tensed and they both took a step closer, pointing their wands directly at his chest. Harry gave them a hard look, but he slowly handed his wand over to Jodfree and sat down angrily in a chair in front of the director's desk.

Jodfree, in turn, gave Harry's wand over to Auror Arnold and immediately started the questioning. "It is our understanding that you and the four members of your team went to Knockturn Alley last evening; will you please tell us for what purpose?"

Harry replied coolly, "Considering you already spoke to at least one member of my team, I would have assumed that question has already been answered."

"Harry, please," Director Candlehard said wearily, "it will be more helpful if you cooperate and answer their questions."

Without hiding his irritation, Harry stated, "I received a tip leading me to believe that we could find someone in the Dark Specter Tavern with information pertaining to our investigation. I submitted a report to Director Candlehard prior to our departure from the office yesterday, outlining our plans and the purpose."

Auror Jodfree asked, "Which investigation did the tip pertain to?"

"The Death Eater attack that occurred about two months ago at Bill and Fleur Weasley's cottage."

Jodfree sat on the edge of the director's desk, crossed his arms, and looked arrogantly down at Harry. "That was the attack in which your fiancée was killed?"

"Yes," he answered, tersely, glaring slightly at Jodfree. Harry knew the man understood perfectly well which attack he was referring to.

"Frankly, I was surprised to hear that you were assigned to that particular case. Isn't it problematic?" Auror Jodfree asked. "Given your relationship to the victim, I mean."

"I don't believe so," Harry stated. "I asked to be put in charge of it."

"Of course you did," the Auror replied snidely. "And I'm sure everyone stumbled over themselves to grant your request."

"Jodfree…" Director Candlehard ground out warningly, "I'd be careful with this line of questioning. Both the Minister and I agreed to assign Harry to the case."

"My apologies, Director," Jodfree answered stiffly. "I was only trying to acknowledge that working on the case must be extremely difficult for Auror Potter, since it means that he has to deal with the memory of a personally devastating event on a daily basis. Not to mention it puts him into direct contact with anyone suspected of involvement in the murder of his fiancée." Then he added with feigned empathy, "I can only imagine how very difficult it all must be for you at times. How are you handling it, Auror Potter?"

"I'm handling it just fine," Harry replied with ever increasing impatience. He was starting to get a headache and he still had no idea of what the man was trying to drive at.

"Hmm, that's good to hear. But still, after all this time, your fiancée's killer is still on the loose," Jodfyree persisted, shaking his head in mock dismay. "That must make you rather angry."

"Yes, it makes me angry!" Harry snapped, starting to rise out of the chair. He saw one of the Security Aurors take a step toward him and he forced himself to sit back down. "And so do these stupid questions! What is exactly is your point for calling me in here?"

"Yes, move along with it, Jodfree," Director Candlehard ordered.

"Of course," Jodfree replied, wearing a smug expression, but avoiding Harry's question. "Please tell us in detail what happened last night, starting from when you and your team arrived in Knocturn Alley."

Barely concealing his irritation, Harry explained how he and Alicia discovered Dingo in the tavern, and when they confronted him, that the man revealed he had been following Harry and that another attack was supposed to occur near Saint Mungo's that evening. Then he related everything he could remember that happened once they arrived outside the hospital, although, he had to admit he was a bit hazy as to what happened after the explosion and before he awoke in the hospital.

"So after you left your friend's room in the hospital, what did you do?" Auror Jodfree asked.

Harry answered, "I went home."

"What time was that?"

"I'm not sure exactly; maybe around three or four o'clock this morning."

"You didn't go anywhere else?"

"No."

"Did anyone see you arrive home?" Jodfree asked.

"No," Harry replied, and then added, "Except for maybe Kreacher. He usually knows when I've come home, but I didn't see him."

"Who or what is Creature?" Jodfree questioned.

"My house elf," Harry answered. "His name is Kreacher."

"We can't use a house elf to corroborate his statement," Auror Arnold spoke up for the first time. "House elves are magically bound to be loyal and they are unable to provide information that might incriminate their master."

Jodfree nodded his agreement and Harry asked heatedly, "What makes you think what I've told you needs to be corroborated?"

"We're asking the questions this morning, Potter," Jodfree responded authoritatively. Before Harry could say another word, the Auror said, "You mentioned you received a tip telling you that someone named Dingo would be in the Dark Specter."

Jodfree seemed to be watching Harry carefully when he continued, "From whom did you receive this tip?"

"I can't tell you."

Jodfree asked incredulously, "You're saying that you dragged your entire team into a potentially dangerous situation without knowing who you received information from?"

"No," Harry answered between clenched teeth, "I'm saying that I am not going to give you the name of the person who gave me the information."

"This is a criminal investigation!" Jodfree exclaimed. "I have the authority to compel you to answer every question you are asked!"

Harry leaned toward Jodfree and glared coldly back at him, "And I'm compelled to tell you that you can go shove your questions up your—"

"Harry, that's enough!" Director Candlehard interrupted, tossing Harry a look to convey he had better hold his temper in check. Then he turned his attention to Jodfree and continued, "I recommend you move on. I believe Harry directed his team appropriately, given the information he obtained. I don't, however, believe the identity of Harry's source has any bearing on the reason we are here."

It was obvious Jodfree did not share Director Candlehard's opinion, but he relented and continued his questioning "Does the name Artemus Dingoptras mean anything to you?"

"No. Should it?"

Jodfree picked up a file from Director Candlehard's desk and withdrew a photograph which he held up for Harry to see.

"Is this the man you found in Knockturn Alley?"

Although the man in the photo looked to be several years younger than the man he and Alicia found the previous evening, Harry recognized that it was Dingo.

"Yes," Harry replied. "So Dingo's real name is Artemus Dingoptras? That should make it easier to find him again."

"We know where he is," Jodfree said.

"You do?" Harry asked, interested in the conversation for the first time. "Where?"

Jodfree answered, "In the morgue at Saint Mungo's."

"He's _dead_?" Harry asked in astonishment. He sat stunned for a moment, realizing that this meant he had lost his only lead. "How? What happened to him?"

Auror Arnold spoke up, "Why don't you tell us, Auror Potter?"

"How should I know?" Harry responded and then it dawned on him why he had been summoned. "You think that I _killed _him?"

"Didn't you threaten to do just that last night?" Jodfree asked.

"No! I—" Harry stopped. He had told Dingo that he would be as good as dead if anything happened to Hermione. But they could not honestly believe it was a serious threat that he would actually carry out.

"You've got to be joking!" Harry exclaimed incredulously.

"I don't joke," Jodfree replied which Harry believed completely. Jodfree looked to Auror Arnold and asked, "What did you find?"

Arnold answered, "A reverse glamour charm was the last magic the wand performed. Before that, the previous ten were only the ordinary everyday spells, summoning charms and the like. But the victim was murdered with his own wand, so this proves nothing."

"I wasn't in any condition to do anything but go home and fall into bed when I left the hospital last night!" Harry snapped.

"You were one of the last people to see him alive!" Jodfree shot back at Harry. "Dingoptras was murdered in his flat very early this morning. Murdered by the Killing Curse. No one but an Auror would be able to leave the scene fast enough to avoid Ministry response to the Taboo!"

Kingsley Shacklebolt recently had the Ministry place security charms throughout Britain. If anyone used an Unforgivable Curse, the authorities within the Ministry could be dispatched to the location almost immediately. Kingsley had gotten the idea from Voldemort's use of using his own name as Taboo during the war.

"Dingo was the only link we've found to the attack!" Harry shouted back, "Why would I kill him?"

"Oh, I suppose you're right," Jodfree answered facetiously. "How could we _possibly_ believe that the great Harry Potter, would commit a coldblooded murder?"

"We can do without the sarcasm, Jodfree." Director Candlehard had been silently observing the proceedings but he felt Jodfree was taking the outright accusations much too far. "Harry didn't do it."

"How can you be sure?" Jodfree responded unrelentingly. "He discovered Dingoptras had a connection to his fiancée's death." Then he looked down at Harry and pointed an accusatory finger in his face, "You know he was connected to the incident in which your friend was seriously injured last night right under your nose! You have been under severe emotional stress for the past several months. It is not unreasonable to consider events such as those that happened last night would be enough to push you over the edge and take revenge. Someone with a background and history like yours—"

Harry had had enough of Jodfree's ranting and he stood up so fast, the chair he had been sitting in skidded several feet across the floor behind him.

"You'd better stop right there!" Harry was barely keeping his anger in check.

The Security Aurors started to advance on him but Harry ignored them while he and Jodfree continued to glare daggers into each other's eyes.

"You have quite a temper, Auror Potter," Jodfree goaded.

Director Candlehard also stood up and he raised his hand to halt the Security Aurors in their place. "I agree with Harry," he said calmly. "This line of questioning will stop. Quailmire, Jefferson, you may go."

Director Candlehard outranked everyone in the room, thus, Security Aurors, Quailmire and Jefferson, noticeably disappointed, had no choice but to reluctantly exit the room.

After several moments of stilted silence, Director Candlehard said, "I think we've heard enough. You can go, Harry. Rest up and we'll see you back here next week."

"Just one moment!" Auror Jodfree protested. "I have a few more questions for Potter to answer!"

"Am I under arrest?" Harry demanded heatedly.

"Not yet," Jodfree responded coldly.

"Then we're done here," Harry said, holding his hand out to Auror Arnold who grudgingly handed his wand back to him. Seething from what he considered to be deranged accusations, Harry strode furiously out of Director Candlehard's office.


	8. Awakenings

**Chapter 8: Awakenings **

Before he went to see Hermione, Harry wanted to talk to his team about his meeting in Director Candlehard's office. He was still furious from Jodfree's interrogation, and as he entered the door to the Auror department, his ire was pricked even more when several people glanced toward him before looking quickly away without their usual greeting. It was obvious everyone was aware of the previous night's events, as well as his morning meeting with Internal Investigative Affairs.

No one from his team was at their desks, and the door to their conference room was closed, indicating their probable location. He opened the door and the scene before him made him temporarily forget his run-in with Internal Investigations.

Seamus was on one side of the table with his arms crossed angrily. Alicia was sitting in a chair next to him, but it appeared as if she was about to spring across the table to have a go at Ben at any moment. Ben looked just as angry and red in the face as Seamus, while Kevin was positioned between them at the head of the table and his resigned expression, made it apparent that he had completely given up trying to mediate the argument.

Seamus was yelling, "—can't believe you said it with those pricks in the lift with us!"

Alicia added, almost as loudly, "What I can't believe is that you thought it's possible! Harry didn't even use the Killing Curse against You-Know-Who in the final battle! How could you think that he—" She noticed Harry standing frozen in the doorway and halted abruptly.

"Harry! What are you doing here?" Alicia asked in surprise.

"Good morning," Harry said with a forced calm he definitely did not feel and he stepped into the room. He closed the door and Ben looked away when Harry's gaze landed on him. Ignoring Alicia's question, Harry asked, "Is there a problem?"

"No!" Alicia answered quickly. "We were just… um… having a bit of a disagreement, that's all. It's… ah… nothing really. So how are you feeling?"

"Better than last night, thanks," Harry answered.

"We weren't expecting you in today," Kevin said. "Didn't the Healer tell you not to come back to work for at least a week?"

They watched the expression on Harry's face darken when he answered, "He did. But I was summoned in this morning by Internal Investigative Affairs under the threat of being thrown into Azkaban, so I didn't have much of a choice."

_"What?"_ Seamus and Kevin said in close unison. Then Seamus continued in disbelief, "They sent you an official summons?"

"Why didn't they just ask you to come by the office?" Alicia questioned irately.

Harry answered dryly, "Apparently, that isn't how Internal Investigative Affairs requests the presence of their prime suspect in a murder."

Harry saw Alicia throw an accusatory glare at Ben as he continued, "Since I was here anyway, I figured I might as well stop by before I go to Saint Mungo's to check on Hermione."

Although Harry was certain he knew what the topic of their 'disagreement' was, he asked, "Anyone want to fill me in on what all the shouting was about?"

Seamus and Kevin immediately looked toward Ben who finally muttered, "I guess I said something in the lift that I probably shouldn't have."

"_Probably_ shouldn't have?" Seamus repeated incredulously. "I'd say it was more like—"

Harry held up his hand to silence Seamus and asked Ben, "And that was…?"

Ben sighed heavily and replied, "Seamus and I both got in early and we heard people talking about the Unforgivable Curse Taboo going off earlier this morning. Then when we got on the lift, we heard someone mention who the victim was…"

Seamus's anger and disgust was apparent when he jerked his head toward Ben and finished, "And the bloody idiot asked me right then and there whether I thought you had done it. Then he went on and mentioned that you made some comment about killing Dingo and maybe what happened to Hermione, on top of everything else, might have been enough to cause you to do it."

"Well, we all heard him say it!" Ben shot back in his defense. "Even Alicia admitted that she heard Harry threatened to kill Dingo when they confronted him in the alley!"

Alicia retorted, "And I told you that I never believed for one second that Harry was serious and that he'd ever do it! Haven't you ever said something when you were angry that you really didn't mean?"

"But the worst of it was," Seamus added, "both Jodfree and Arnold were in the lift and Ben knows they work in the Internal Investigative Affairs office!" Then he narrowed his eyes at Ben and said, "Maybe you want them to suspect Harry!"

Ben shot up from his seat and drew his wand, "What are you saying, Finnegan?"

Both Seamus and Alicia immediately responded by drawing their wands on Ben, but then a loud crack filled the room and all three of them were suddenly thrown backward into their seats. Kevin had hexed the three of them so quickly that Harry had not even noticed he had drawn his wand.

"Now, kids," Kevin said, placing his wand back into a pocket of his robes and sounding much like a teacher calmly instructing naughty school children, "if you start to play rough, someone is likely to get hurt. Plus I doubt Harry is in the mood to listen to more of your squabbling, because I know I'm certainly not."

"Er… thanks, Kevin," Harry replied and moved toward the table, but he did not sit down. At least now he knew the origin of the morning's accusations and he was finding it difficult to keep his renewed feelings of anger under control. Apparently there would always be people who thought the worst of him; he just never thought they would include a member from his own team, not even Ben.

The question that Harry was about to ask was answered when Kevin said, "After what they heard in the lift, it didn't take Jodfree and Arnold long to demand to meet with each of us individually this morning. Candlehard found out about it at the last minute…" he paused and looked meaningfully at Alicia who was still glaring at Ben, "… and he insisted on being present during the interviews. They basically asked each of us the same questions about whether we heard you threaten to kill Dingo and exactly what you said and did last night."

Harry had, indeed, verbally threatened Dingo's life so he could not very well hold it against any member of his team for answering Jodfree's questions truthfully.

He asked flatly, "Did they bring Security Aurors into the office while they questioned you, too?"

Alicia asked angrily, "And Candlehard allowed it?"

Harry replied, "He eventually told them to leave. But Jodfree made certain the guys he brought in were really big blokes; I got the impression that they don't like me very much, either, because they both seemed rather put out that their services weren't needed."

"Sounds like Jefferson and Quailmire," Kevin said.

"That was their names," Harry answered.

"I don't know what their problem is with you," Kevin continued, "but I have heard that they're a couple of real hot heads. Several of the Aurors in Internal Investigations like to have them around during interrogations because they tend to get people to talk. As I recall, those two were suspected of assaulting a few Ministry employees a while back. Nothing against them was ever proven and the injuries the employees suffered were attributed to 'accidents.'" He made quote marks in the air with his fingers. "But if their reputation is true, I'd say it was a good thing that Candlehard was there."

"Wait until the Minister finds out about it!" Seamus said angrily, casting a reproachful look at Ben.

Harry snapped, "The Minister isn't going to hear anything about it!"

"But, Harry!" Seamus protested, "They shouldn't treat you, of all people, like—"

"Which is exactly why the Minister doesn't need to know!" Harry interrupted tersely. "The last thing I want is to have even more people think that I get special treatment."

Harry frowned as he thought about Kevin's comment regarding Quailmire and Jefferson. Dingo confirmed the Golden Masked Death Eater had connections at the Ministry and he and his team already suspected an Auror from the Security Department was involved; the killer's fast escape from the Taboo pretty much confirmed it. Was either Quailmire or Jefferson – or both- that connection? If what Kevin said about them was true, it certainly sounded like they enjoyed bullying people, so Harry imagined they would fit right in with Death Eaters.

Harry asked, "Are Quailmire and Jefferson on the list of people who were given access to Shell Cottage by Bill?"

"No," Ben spoke, his tone sounding somewhat contrite for the trouble he caused Harry. "But we can still check them out."

"Do that," Harry replied, but he saw Alicia and Seamus continue to cast heated looks toward Ben, which Ben was returning. Harry sighed as his anger from only a few moments before started to give way to a pounding headache. The combination of his injuries and lack of sleep was definitely catching up with him.

"I'm going over to Saint Mungo's now, but before I do, I want to make one thing clear." Harry looked sternly at each member of his team in turn, "I expect each of you to continue to do your jobs and to keep working together. I do not want what happened this morning to get in your way of the investigation. I want the guy behind the gold mask. I want him and everyone who has been helping him. I want this case solved and if any one of you gives me a reason to suspect that your personal opinions of each other are getting in the way, you're gone. Am I clear?"

Kevin replied, "Perfectly," and the other three nodded their understanding.

"Good," Harry said. "If you come across new information while I'm out, no matter how insignificant it seems, I want to know about it. Any of the Ministry owls will be able to reach me." Harry turned abruptly and left the room.

He didn't like coming down so authoritatively on his team, and Harry knew Seamus and Alicia's friendship and feelings of loyalty toward him were the reason behind their anger at Ben. But he could not afford to allow any animosity between them to get in the way of the investigation.

While nothing could ease the painful emptiness that Ginny's death had left in his heart, Harry needed to solve this case. He had failed to save Ginny and that was something he would never forgive himself for. But he owed it to her to bring her killer and her killer's accomplices to justice.

"Harry! Wait!" he had just entered the hallway that lead toward the bank of lifts when he heard Alicia calling to him.

He stopped walking. "What do you want?"

His words came out much harsher than he intended and Alicia stopped short.

"Sorry," Harry said apologetically, "I didn't mean to bite your head off."

"I want to talk to you for a minute," Alicia said carefully. "Alone, I mean."

There was a brief uncomfortable silence as Harry waited for her to continue.

"I was wondering…" She took a deep breath. "I was just wondering how you are. Really, I mean."

"I'm fine," he replied with an exasperated sigh. "My head and arm should be better in a few days, so I'm sure I'll be able to convince the Healer that I don't need to stay out of work for a whole week."

Harry started down the hall again and Alicia continued to walk with him. "That's not what I'm talking about and I think you know it."

He stopped again and turned on her impatiently, "What are you talking about then, Alicia?"

"I'm talking about what happened last night," Alicia replied just as impatiently herself. Two wizards walked past them so she added in a hissed whisper, "I'm talking about what you did last night!"

"What is it you that think I did?" Harry demanded so heatedly that the two wizards turned around to look at them curiously. Harry cast them an angry glare and they hurried along on their way.

"Well?" Harry demanded again, now fixing his angry eyes on Alicia. "Do you think Ben's right and that I killed Dingo?"

"Of course not!" Alicia threw back at him. "I'm referring to what happened in Knockturn Alley. You hit a suspect! You punched him in the face and—"

"He had information we needed," Harry said through clenched teeth. "I got it out of him! And it's a damn good thing I did! Or don't you care that what he told us saved Hermione's life?"

"Of course I care that it saved Hermione!" Alicia retorted. "But that's not my point! I can only imagine how hard this has been for you, but still… I've never seen you like you were last night… like you were close to losing control. In all the time I've known you, I have never seen you go out of your way to hurt somebody!"

Alicia obviously never heard about Harry's use of the Cruciatus Curse on Amycus Carrow while he was searching for Rowena Ravenclaw's Diadem on the night of the Final Battle. Harry did not think this was the best time to enlighten her on the matter.

Alicia pressed, "And you would have cut his hand off with that curse if I hadn't stopped you!"

The sickened look on her face brought Harry up short and he denied, "I was not going to cut off his hand!"

The expression on Alicia's face made it obvious that she did not believe him, but she dropped the subject and said, "What I'm trying to say is that I'm worried about you, Harry."

"Don't be," Harry retorted and he started walking again.

"Too bad," Alicia replied, keeping pace with him. "I'm not only on your team, I'm your friend. So you're stuck with having me worry and watch out for you, like it or not. And I also plan to keep a closer eye on Ben."

"I was serious about what I said back in the office," Harry snapped, turning on her again.

"I know you were," Alicia stated, standing her ground. "But I am perfectly capable of working on the investigation and finding out what Ben is up to at the same time."

"You think Ben's up to something?" Harry asked, surprised by her suspicion.

"Seamus had a point," Alicia answered. "I think Ben said what he did while Jodfree and Arnold were in the lift on purpose."

Harry replied doubtfully, "I think it was more likely just a case of Ben being Ben; it doesn't mean he's—"

Alicia halted him, "Harry, he made certain that two of the most obnoxious and ambitious people in Internal Investigations suspect _you_ of committing murder."

"But why would he want to do something like that?" Harry asked.

"I don't know," Alicia admitted. "But, just the same, I think someone should keep an eye on him. It won't get in the way of my work on the investigation. I promise."

"I don't like the idea of one member of my team spying on another," Harry sighed. "We need to trust each other or—"

"Come on, Harry!" Alicia insisted. "You can't honestly tell me that you aren't even a little suspicious of what he may be playing at. He's not exactly your biggest fan."

She was right; he and Ben were not the best of friends, but would Ben purposely want to cause Harry trouble with Internal Investigations?

"Let me think about it, okay?" Harry replied. "Right now all I really want is to go see how Hermione is doing. We can discuss Ben more when I get back."

Her disappointment was evident but she answered, "Sure, Harry, if that's how you want it."

As Harry rode the lift, his mind roamed over Seamus's accusation and Alicia's suspicions. Did Ben really want the Internal Investigation Aurors to suspect him of murder? Ben was not stupid by any stretch of the imagination and, even though he didn't seem to like anyone, Ben knew more people in the Ministry than Harry did. Ben must have realized that Jodfree and Arnold were in the lift when he was talking to Seamus. If so, then why would Ben choose that particular moment to voice his suspicions, other than to ensure the other Aurors overheard him?

The doors of the lift opened and when Harry moved to get out, he was still deep in thought and not paying attention to the two Wizards getting on. Someone slammed painfully into his injured arm, and he stumbled backward with a grunt of pain. When he looked up he saw the two Security Aurors from Director Candlehard's office towering over him. They moved to close the space between them, forming a tall blockade and preventing Harry from getting off the lift.

Harry didn't know which one was Qualmire and which was Jefferson, but the one on his right said, "I guess some people don't think they have to watch where they're going, eh, Zeb?"

Zeb looked down at Harry snidely and responded, "What do you expect when someone considers himself above the law?"

"Maybe that's what happens when you think everyone in the world worships you," Zeb's companion agreed. "You might even get it into your head that you can do anything; even get away with murder."

Harry met the eyes of the one who had spoken last and said, "Excuse me, but this is my floor."

"No," the huge Security Auror responded, taking a step closer. "I don't think we will excuse you."

Between Jodfree and Arnold's accusations earlier that morning, and the renewed throbbing in his arm from the obvious intentional collision, Harry's patience was nearly stretched to its breaking point. Using his body to block the movement of his left hand from the men in front of him, he carefully reached for his wand.

Not-Zeb sneered, "What'da you say we take the hero down to the dungeons and teach him to respect the law."

"And have him run to the Minister?" Zeb responded. "Shacklebolt'll have us tossed into Azkaban for sure if we rough up his political pride and joy."

A smirk spread across Not-Zeb's face when he answered, "Not if we Obliviate him after we've knocked him around a bit."

"There's an idea," Zeb said as a menacing grin spread across his face. "Move, Potter."

The Security Auror took a step toward Harry with the intention of pushing him to the back of the lift, but Harry brought his wand up, and the man quickly retreated backward.

The tall Auror's eyes traveled from the tip of the wand pointing at his chest to the angry green eyes of its owner. Harry was outnumbered, so the two might very well be able to make good on their threat against him, but that didn't mean he'd go easily.

"I've always heard Security Aurors aren't the brightest," Harry said, stepping out of the lift and allowing the doors to close behind him, "but I can't believe that even you two are so thick that you think you'd scare me after I've faced down the likes of Voldemort. Now, get out of my way or you both will be lucky to go home today with your sorry asses still attached!"

Zeb noticeably flinched at his use of Voldemort's name, but he recovered quickly and his hand moved ever so slowly toward the pocket of his robe that most likely held is wand. He glared back at Harry and said, "You're the thick one, Potter. You can't take on both of us."

"Try me," Harry dared coldly. He raised his wand under the man's chin and took a step to the side so that he positioned Zeb between himself and the other Security Auror, thereby blocking that one's line of fire. Without taking his eyes off Zeb, Harry added, "But I'm betting I can curse you before your mate gets his first shot off at me."

Zeb held his ground a moment longer, seemingly to consider the merit of Harry's words. Before he could make a decision, a witch and a wizard came over to catch the lift, leaving him no choice but to move aside for Harry. Harry knew the Security Aurors would not dare to continue their threats in front of witnesses and he quickly brought his hand down to hide his wand in the folds of his robes.

"Have a pleasant day, gentlemen," Harry said stiltedly and continued on his way.

***********

The day was still young, but Harry's temper was sorely pressed by the time he strode down the hospital corridor toward Hermione's room and rapped lightly on the door. Ron's voice bid him to enter and when he pushed the door open, he saw Hermione sitting up in the bed.

"Harry!" Hermione held out her hand to him in welcome.

"You're awake!" Harry exclaimed. A genuine smile crossed his face for the first time that morning, and he bent down to give her a quick kiss on the cheek. He felt a greatly relieved to see Hermione wearing a bright, happy smile instead of the haunting mask of death from his nightmare, as well as Ron sitting happily beside her.

"She regained consciousness just a little while ago," Ron said, taking Hermione's hand and giving it a squeeze. "You got here fast. I sent an owl to let you know Hermione's awake only a few minutes ago."

"Actually, I just came from the Ministry," Harry answered and asked, "How are you doing?"

"I'm a bit stiff and sore," Hermione admitted and grimaced as she shifted upon the bed to try to find a more comfortable position. "But I'm much better than I would have been if you hadn't shown up last night. Ron told me about how you and Alicia discovered something was going to happen."

Ron said, "The Healer tells us she should heal completely and she may even be able to come home in a few days."

"That's great!" Harry replied, taking a seat in the empty chair by the bed. "You had us all plenty worried."

Looking at the bandage on his head and the sling securing his injured arm, Hermione asked, "And how are you?"

"I've had worse," Harry replied with a humorless smile.

"Why were you at the Ministry?" Ron asked. "You aren't supposed to go back to work yet, are you?"

"No," Harry replied.

"Then why were you there?" Hermione pressed, not missing the fact that the smile had completely disappeared from Harry's face.

Trying to make the tone of his voice light, he answered, "Some people had questions about what happened last night, is all."

Hermione was not fooled by his attempted casual answer and she pressed, "Why did they have to talk to you this morning? Couldn't your team answer any questions they had?"

"They wanted to hear my side of things is all," Harry replied and stood up from the chair. It was at times like this that he wished Hermione could not read him so well. "It wasn't a big deal, okay?"

"I never said that it was," Hermione answered, exchanging a glance with Ron. "Harry, what's wrong?"

Harry knew it was no use trying to hide anything from them and he answered, "Dingo- that's the guy who told Alicia and me about what was going to happen- was murdered earlier this morning." Hermione let out a surprised gasp and Harry continued, "He as much as admitted that he was working for the Death Eater in the gold mask and I'm sure there was more he could have told us about the attack at Bill and Fleur's."

"You recon that's why he was killed, then?" Ron asked. "Because he knew too much?"

"Probably," Harry answered and his frustration was obvious when he continued, "But, not being able to get more information from him is certainly going to make the investigation a lot more difficult."

Ron asked, "Do they think it was Golden Mask who killed him, then?"

"Actually, they suspect someone else," Harry answered.

"Who?" Hermione asked.

"Me."

"What?" Hermione exclaimed, gaping at him.

"They can't be serious!" Ron added, just as shocked.

Harry replied, "Apparently a couple of Aurors from Internal Investigative Affairs are serious enough to officially summon me to the Ministry this morning for questioning."

"Are they bloody crazy?" Ron demanded.

"It's ridiculous!" Hermione declared in outrage. "There's no reason to suspect you!"

"Actually, there kind of is," Harry replied. At their shocked expressions he explained about his and Alicia's encounter with Dingo (minus the details of the interrogation methods Alicia had called him out for) as well as what Ben said while Jodfree and Arnold were in the lift. He finished by telling them about the interrogation in Director Candlehard's office.

"I still can't believe anyone could seriously consider you a suspect!" Hermione said. "Everyone says things they don't really mean when they're upset or angry."

Harry smiled slightly, "That's exactly what Alicia told Ben and the others this morning."

"Well, she's right," Ron said. "I'd have been in Azkaban a hundred times over if people thought I did everything I threatened to do. Although, I'd keep an eye on Ben if I were you. I've always thought there was something dodgy about that guy."

"You sound like Alicia, too," Harry commented. "She caught me in the hall before I came over here. She thinks it's odd that Ben chose the moment that Jodfree and Arnold were in the lift to talk about what I said."

"But it does seem a bit suspicious, doesn't it?" Ron asked. "Remember he killed the only Death Eater you found in that raid several months back."

"It was an accident that the guy fell," Harry said frowning.

"Maybe," Ron answered, "But what if it wasn't an accident and Ben did it on purpose so you couldn't question him. Maybe Ben's working with the Death Eaters and he did Dingo in because they want everyone to suspect you."

"Those are really serious allegations, Ron," Hermione protested.

"But it makes sense, really," Ron insisted. "What better way for them to keep Dingo from talking and get Harry out of the way at the same time by having him chucked into Azkaban?"

"It's been my experience that Death Eaters usually want me done in," Harry replied quietly, "not thrown in prison."

"But Azkaban is full of Death Eater sympathizers," Ron said, standing up and starting to pace as the plot against Harry formed more solidly in his mind. "And a lot of them are there because you took out Voldemort. Even under the new Ministry, things happen to people in there. Maybe they're hoping that if they get you sent to Azkaban, some of the inmates will do the job for them and find a way to kill you."

"Stop it!" Hermione suddenly burst out, startling both Harry and Ron. She was looking between them with tears in her eyes.

"What's wrong?" Ron rushed to kneel by her bedside and he took her hand anxiously into his. "Are you in pain? Does it hurt somewhere?"

"No," she said looking between the two of them with a sniff. "I don't want to listen to anymore talk about killing!"

"I'm sorry 'Mione," Ron said looking ashamed of himself for upsetting her. "We'll stop. Can I get you something or fluff your pillow or…"

"I don't need anything, except for the both of you to stop talking about something awful happening to Harry," she answered.

She grimaced painfully again as she shifted slightly in the bed and Ron looked at her worriedly, "Are you sure? I could—"

"I'm sure," Hermione answered. "It's just after what happened last night, I don't want to think any more about something horrible happening to someone I care about."

"It's ok, we can talk about something else," Ron said and he brought her hand to his lips and placed a tender kiss upon it.

"Thank you." Hermione smiled at his attentiveness and she caressed his cheek lovingly.

Witnessing their intimate exchange filled Harry with such a feeling of loneliness and longing for Ginny, that the simple act of breathing suddenly became alarmingly difficult. Although, it did help him come to a decision; it was something that he had been considering for a while and, until this moment, he was unsure whether he would be able go through with it.

"I have to get going," Harry said quietly, drawing his friends' attention back to him.

"Please stay, Harry," Hermione said. "Ron said Molly and Arthur will be coming soon. Bill and Fleur are going to be bringing Victoire by too. "

"No, I…er… need to leave," he responded. "Last night must really be catching up with me."

Ron stood up and shook his hand, "We'll see you later this afternoon then?"

"Actually, there's something that I have to do, so I won't be able to come back today," Harry answered. His voice had a distracted quality to it, but when Ron pressed him to explain, Harry declined to say any more.

"Oh, Harry," Hermione whispered sympathetically after the door closed behind his departing back.

"What do you suppose he's got to do?" Ron puzzled.

"He's decided to go to the cliff," Hermione replied as tears began to form in her eyes.

"The cliff? You mean at Shell Cottage?" Ron asked, surprised. "Why on earth would he want to go—" and then, seeing the look of sorrow and worry on his wife's face, he stood up quickly, "But you said you thought he was dealing better with it now! Shouldn't I go and stop him or—"

"Ronald!" Hermione exclaimed with an exasperated groan, "He's not going there to jump off!"

"No, 'course not," Ron said, obviously relieved, but still looking confused. "But I still don't understand why you think that's where he's going."

"Today is Ginny's birthday," Hermione's replied softly, "so he wants to spend some time at the place where it happened."

**********

The man walked toward the room at the end of the corridor and drew his wand. The lock disengaged with a soft click just before the door slowly swung open. The thick drapes were drawn and only a lone lamp by the side of the bed illuminated the room, so it took his eyes a moment to adjust to the meager light.

Upon seeing him, Martha stood up quickly from the chair she was sitting in and nervously smoothed the wrinkles from her crisp, white uniform.

"Good evening, sir," she whispered with a tentative smile.

He did not return the pleasantry; instead he said in a quiet voice, "Has there been any change?"

The smile slipped from Martha's face and she replied, "I'm afraid not."

He walked farther into the room and gazed down at Ginny's pale face. The bruises that had once marred the girl's creamy skin were gone. But, even while they were present, he could not deny that she was a beauty, whether she came from a family of blood-traitors or not.

Her long, red hair lay across the pillow in soft, fiery waves and he had to restrain himself from succumbing to the urge to reach out and touch it. As his eyes traversed the length of the shapely form of her body that was evident under the cover of the light blanket, he had to admit that Potter was a lucky man; or at least he used to be. That thought brought a smirk to his face.

Martha watched him closely not liking the way he was looking at the girl.

"Begging your pardon, sir…"

His eyes remained fixed on Ginny, and when he did not reply, Martha tried again, "Sir, perhaps if she were taken to Saint Mungo's they could help—"

Martha's words halted when his eyes shifted from the figure in the bed to her.

"You are being paid for your discretion and to hold your tongue," he said coldly, "not to offer unsolicited advice."

"B-but, sir," the nurse continued, wringing her hands, "I'm sure they would be able to—"

"I have already told you, woman!" he snapped impatiently. "That is out of the question! I'm not ready for anyone to know she's alive.

"Especially not _him_," he continued under his breath to himself.

A soft sound coming from the bed drew their immediate attention. Ginny stirred slightly and Martha rushed to kneel by her side.

"That's it, lamb," Martha coaxed softly. "It's time to wake up."


	9. Pale Memories

**Chapter 9: Pale Memories **

The sun had already made steady progress past its zenith, but Harry remained seated on the smooth outcropping of rock, gazing out over the water. The spot he chose was peaceful and located below the footpath along the cliff so there was no chance of anyone within Shell Cottage noticing his presence.

The ocean breeze blew lazily across his face, and Harry allowed his mind to wander unrestrained as he picked up a small rock and absentmindedly tossed it into the churning waves below. Memories of the quiet times he had shared with Ginny on this very spot began to push their way to the forefront of his mind and, closing his eyes, he let them come. He had loved the way Ginny's hair always reflected the sunlight so each strand seemed to glow with a fire of its own; he remembered feeling content to simply hold her hand, as they both gazed out at the ocean; he remembered Ginny's touch along his arm… the pleasure of her soft lips caressing his and then parting to allow his tongue access to play with hers… her body pressing intimately against him, setting his own body on fire…

He mentally shook himself and opened his eyes without seeing the panorama before him. He only tortured himself by allowing his mind to travel down such paths, but the memories were all that was left. The future he had fought against all odds to make possible was lost, leaving little within him but a driving need to track down the man behind the golden mask and his followers.

Harry's frustration and fury rose like an angered dragon when his thoughts shifted to Golden Mask. He could not help feeling that he had to be overlooking some vital clue that would help him discover the man's identity.

Dingo had said that Hermione was in several of the photos that he took for Golden Mask and she was his second target. Anyone who read the numerous unauthorized biographies of Harry's life, or the books and articles published about the war, would know about his long friendship with Hermione, as well as the role both she and Ron played in helping him. Harry had refused to read any of it, but he heard enough to know that some publications either alluded to, or blatantly reported that, his and Hermione's relationship went far beyond friendship. Someone need not have studied Divination to conclude that Hermione's death would hit Harry nearly as hard as Ginny's. So, was it more likely that Golden Mask was a complete stranger or was he someone Harry actually knew? Like perhaps Ben?

Harry shook his head as though answering his own question. The fact that he and Ben didn't get along very well was true. But even so, Harry had a hard time believing him capable of taking part in a murder plot, no matter what Alicia and Ron thought. Harry had believed Ben at the time when he insisted that the death of the Death Eater they found in the raid several months ago was an accident. But was he wrong to believe him?

Not long after Harry met him, he overheard Ben making vicious remarks about Muggleborns. Harry's anger had gotten the better of him and he confronted Ben, admittedly perhaps too publicly, but he never heard Ben make similar comments again. A dislike of Muggleborns did not necessarily make him a Death Eater; nor could Harry imagine that that particular encounter could push Ben to the point of taking revenge by murdering the people Harry cared about the most.

Harry had reviewed Ben's file and background right after he was assigned to his team; he had also reviewed Kevin's as well as Seamus's and Alicia's for that matter. There was nothing in Ben's records linking him to Death Eaters, nor to anyone with Death Eater sympathies. In addition, every Auror had to submit to interrogation under Veritaserum as a final requirement to join the department. If there was any question regarding Ben's background or sympathies, surely it would have been uncovered then.

If experience had taught Harry anything, it was that circumstantial evidence can be extremely misleading; Severus Snape, case in point. Therefore, until presented with hard evidence, Harry was determined to maintain as open a mind as possible, lest he be lead in the wrong direction and away from discovering who the true culprit was.

"Hermione thought this is where you'd be," Ron said, interrupting Harry's solitude and sitting down beside him.

"So she sent you out to check on me?" He was not in the mood for company, not even Ron's, and he suddenly felt somewhat resentful towards both Ron and Hermione for not understanding his need to be alone.

"She's just concerned, 's all," Ron replied. Harry saw Ron glace at him quickly and then look away. "You know how she can get. She wanted me to make sure you're alright."

Harry looked back at the ocean. "So now you can go back and tell her that I'm fine."

Ron refused to take the hint, so they sat in silence for a while until Harry finally said, "Honestly, Ron, you don't have to stay and watch after me. I'm not planning to jump off the cliff or to do something else just as stupid."

"I know…" Ron answered, distractedly but he still made no move to get up and leave.

Awkward silence dragged on for several long moments until Ron finally said in a rush, "I want to join the Auror Department."

"You do?" Harry replied, surprised by Ron's shift in topic.

"Um, yeah, what do you think?"

"I told you when I first joined up that I thought you'd make a good Auror," Harry replied. "So you don't want to work with George at the shop anymore?"

"To be honest, I don't think running a business is really for me," Ron answered. "All the worrying about inventory and keeping up with what's selling and what's not and everything. It's downright boring, I tell you. What I'd rather do is work on the investigation with you. On your team, I mean."

"You don't think you're a bit close the situation?" Harry asked.

"And you're not?" Ron demanded, turning on Harry heatedly. "You can't tell me that you didn't twist a few arms to get assigned to the case! Ginny was _my_ sister! And if you didn't notice, it was _my_ wife they just tried to kill! I want that bastard caught! And I want more to be done than just sitting around, waiting for them to try something again!"

"Is that what you think we're doing?" Harry demanded indignantly. "Sitting around and waiting for them to try to kill someone else?"

"That's not what—" Ron started defensively.

"It certainly sounded like it!" Harry shouted, glaring at him.

"Come on, Harry, you know that's not what I meant!" Ron shot back at him. "I felt so useless waiting in that hospital room for Hermione to wake up! I know you're doing everything you can to track them down. To be honest, I've wanted to ask you about this for a while. I want to do whatever I can to help you get them, that's all I meant."

He did know what Ron really meant and Harry's anger drained out of him when he saw the look of hope and determination on his friend's face.

"I know," he said, conciliatorily; he knew he should not be taking his anger and frustration out on Ron. "Sorry for yelling. I think it will be brilliant to have you join the department and my team."

"You do?" Ron looked relieved.

"Yeah, why wouldn't I?" Harry answered.

"Alright then!" Ron exclaimed suddenly looking happier. "When can I start?"

"As soon as you want, I guess." Harry couldn't help smiling at Ron's enthusiasm and he continued, "I'll talk to Kingsley and Candlehard. You'll still have to officially apply and go through all the background checks, but that would really just be a formality for you. You'll have to complete the eight months of basic training courses, though."

Ron's face fell and he said, "But that means it's going to take forever before I can start working on the case with you."

"Not necessarily," Harry replied. "Field work is a big part of the last three months of training, but maybe I can ask to have you assigned early as a trainee on my team. You can attend classes and still work with us on the case. It will be a lot of work though, doing both."

"I don't care!" Ron declared. "At least I'll be doing something to help get to the bottom of it all. Do you think they'll all go for it? Letting me work on the case right away, I mean."

"I don't think it should take too much convincing," Harry replied. "The only favor I've ever asked of the Ministry was to head up the investigation into the attack on Shell Cottage. The-Boy-Who-Lived should be allowed one more, right? And you helped put an end to the war just as much as I did, so why wouldn't they agree to grant you a favor as well?"

"And your team?" Ron asked, "Do you recon they'll be okay with it?"

"Seamus and Alicia already know you," Harry answered. "And they've both asked me a couple of times why you went to work with George rather than join the department. Kevin is pretty easygoing, so I'm sure he'll be fine. And Ben… well, he'll just have to deal with it. But what about Hermione? Is she okay with you becoming an Auror?"

Ron said, "She's a little nervous about it, but she knows it's what I want to do."

"I guess that settles it then," Harry said, reaching out his hand. "Let me be the first to welcome you aboard."

"Thanks!" Ron answered, shaking Harry's hand and looking happier than he had in months. "But like you said, I still have to apply and we have to get everyone to agree."

They sat in companionable silence for a while until Ron asked, "So, um… how about coming back to the hospital with me?"

"No, thanks," Harry answered. "I want to stay here for a while."

"Dad and Mum are planning to spend the evening there with Hermione and me," Ron persisted. "Bill and Fleur, and George and Percy will be coming by, too. Hermione insisted that the family get together, so Mum will have everyone around her tonight, you know, since it's Ginny's birthday and all."

"Ron," Harry sighed heavily, pinching the bridge of his nose between his thumb and finger, "no offense, but I'd rather be by myself tonight. I know Hermione means well, but I don't think I'd be very good company, anyway."

"I probably shouldn't tell you this," Ron replied, "but I overheard Hermione and Mum talking. They're really worried about you and about you being alone… Plus, Hermione made me promise that I'd do my best to get you to come back with me."

"And you can tell her that you did." Why couldn't everyone understand that really did want to be by himself?

"You're sure?" Ron asked.

"I'm sure. Thank everyone for understanding for me, will you?" Harry said.

"'Kay," Ron said as he stood up. But instead of leaving immediately, he added quietly, "I know… I mean, I think I know how hard it's been for you… Sometimes I feel like there was something more I could have done, that I should have been able to do something to save Ginny that night. It sometimes feels like it'll tear me apart inside when I think about it. And it was like that the whole time I was waiting for Hermione to wake up. I was scared, Harry. I mean _really_ scared."

Harry glanced up at him, and Ron continued, "I was so afraid that I was going to lose her, and that made me realize just how much I love her. And how much I need her… I guess what I'm trying to say is that I think I really do understand how it's been for you, and you know, if you ever need anything..."

"I know, thanks," Harry said so quietly that Ron barely heard him. Unable to find anything more to say, Harry drew his legs up to his chest, wrapped his arms around them and rested his forehead on his knees.

Ron cleared his throat, "I'd better get going, then. We'll be at the hospital most of the night, if you change your mind and feel like coming by."

The sun had nearly set by the time Harry decided it was time for him to leave and, taking one last look at the darkening western sky, he whispered, "Happy Birthday, Gin," and then he turned to head home to his empty cottage.

*********

Ginny's eyes slowly fluttered open and a frown creased her brow when she saw Martha. She tried to speak, but her throat was too dry to utter a sound. Recognizing the symptoms, Martha quickly poured a glass of water from the pitcher sitting on the nearby table and brought it back to her.

Ginny's eyes had closed again, but they reopened when Martha gently helped her to hold her head up so she could take a few small sips of the cool water.

"Easy," Martha said. "Just a taste to wet the tongue for now."

"Thank you," Ginny replied in a hoarse whisper and she rested her head back on the pillow.

He moved his hand slowly toward his wand as he took in the scene without any outward sign of emotion. He knew she had a fiery temper and it was likely she would start causing some kind of commotion once she saw him. He was not in the mood to put up with it and he was fully prepared to bind or stun her if that was the only way to keep her quiet.

"Where am I?" Ginny asked softly.

Martha knew it was best to allow him to answer the girl's questions, and she looked back at him. Keeping his wand hidden at his side, but ready to use, he stepped forward.

"You are in my home, Miss Weasley," he answered, watching her carefully.

When he stepped from the shadows and into the lamp light, Ginny's eyes flew to his face and a surprised gasp escaped her lips. She sat up quickly, pressing her back up against the headboard of the bed.

"Wh-who are you?" Ginny demanded.

Startled by her question, he asked, "You don't know who I am?"

"No… for a moment I thought…"

Something in the deep recesses of her memory was telling her that the features of the man standing before her were all wrong, and that he was not the one who should be there beside her. In her mind, an entirely different visage was forming, but before it became clear enough for her recognize, she was suddenly overcome by an intense feeling of fear and… grief? Then the image was completely gone, swirling and dissipating, like the smoke from an extinguished flame.

Ginny's eyes locked with his a few moments before she answered more certainly, "No, I don't know who you are."

He moved closer to the bed to ensure Ginny could get a good look at his face and said, "You're saying that you really don't remember me?"

"No..." Ginny replied, eying him warily. "Should I?"

"My name is Draco Malfoy," he answered slowly. "We… ah… we went to school together… at Hogwarts."

"Hogwarts?" Ginny repeated, furrowing her brow. "I'm sorry. It doesn't sound familiar."

Draco frowned, wondering what she was playing at and he asked, "Can I assume you know that your name is Ginny Weasley?"

Ginny stared at him blankly for a moment and then he saw a shadow of fear cross her face. Here it comes, Draco thought to himself and he tightened his grip on his wand.

Instead of springing off the bed to attack him like he expected she might, Ginny only looked away and brought her hands up to massage her temples.

"I… I don't know… I can't seem to recall whether that's my name or not," Ginny said shakily.

Draco exchanged a shocked look with Martha, who was watching Ginny with growing concern.

"It's alright, lamb," Martha said gently, "take things slowly."

She sat in the chair next to the bed and took Ginny's hand into hers. "Can you tell us if you remember anything... or anyone?" She just barely caught herself from adding 'like Harry Potter.'

Ginny pulled her hand away from Martha and brought her knees up to hug them close to her chest. What was wrong with her? These people seemed to know her, but she would swear that she had never seen either one of them before in her life. She knew she was a witch because several spells and charms came readily to her mind. She also briefly wondered where her wand could be since she did not see one on the nightstand next to the bed. But when she tried to think of people or of anyone she might know, there was nothing. It was like a wall had been erected to encase that part of her memory.

"No… I can't seem to recall anyone…" Ginny said fearfully to Martha. "What happened to me?"

Ginny looked back at Draco who was still watching her carefully. He seemed more relaxed now, and the coldness she thought she had seen in his eyes was gone. In her fear and confusion, had she only imagined it?

"Would you give us some privacy?" Draco asked, startling Martha. The tone of his voice was more pleasant than he ever used when addressing her before. She was further astounded when he added, "Please?"

"Yes, Mr. Malfoy, of course," Martha replied and she quickly stood and went to the door. She turned back with some concern as she watched Draco take the seat beside Ginny that she just vacated.

Without looking toward her, Draco said, "I will call you if we need anything, Mrs. Pondergrass."

"Yes, sir," Martha replied and she left the room, wondering what Draco planned to tell the girl.

Draco smiled warmly at Ginny, "Other than your loss of memory, how are you feeling?"

"A bit stiff and sore," Ginny answered. "And a bit tired."

"That's understandable," Draco replied reassuringly. "You were badly hurt and you have been unconscious for a while."

"I have?" Ginny asked in surprise. "For how long?"

"Almost two months," Draco answered.

"Two months!" Ginny's eyes widened in shock. "What happened to me? How did I get hurt?"

Draco looked at her hesitantly and she pleaded, "Please tell me. I think I have the right to know."

"You were caught in an attack," Draco answered carefully. He watched her face for any sign that she remembered, or that her loss of memory was actually a ruse.

Seeing her react with shocked surprise, Draco dared to tell her more; "You were attending a… party… it was being held at a cottage on a cliff overlooking the ocean. You were near the edge of the cliff when they attacked and you were hit by a curse. I think you must have hit an outcropping of rock when you fell, but, luckily, I was able to catch you."

"I fell from a cliff?" She asked in wonder. "And you caught me?"

"Let's just say that I was in the right place at the right time," Draco answered. "I had my broom and I was able to fly out and catch you just before you hit the water. Then I brought you here. I tended your major wounds but when you would not wake up, I hired a nurse, Mrs. Pondergrass, to help care for you."

Ginny asked, "But why did you hire a nurse instead of taking me to a hospital?"

Draco answered truthfully, "I wanted to be certain the people from the attack would not find you."

"Does anyone know that I'm here?"

Draco replied, "Only Mrs. Pondergrass and me."

"But don't I have family or friends who could have helped to take care of me?" Ginny asked. If she had been attending a party when the attack happened, wouldn't someone be wondering where she was?

Draco answered, "You'll have to trust me when I say that I believed the only way to completely ensure your safety was to keep your whereabouts secret from everyone until you regained consciousness. Otherwise the people who led the attack may have come looking for you."

"So the attack was aimed at me?" Ginny asked, trying to swallow the fear she was starting to feel, while trying to make sense of what he was telling her.

"You, among others," Draco replied.

"They were after other people I was with, too? Who were the attackers?" Ginny asked. "Why did they attack?"

Instead of answering her questions, Draco decided to find out once and for all whether she truly had lost her memory. He asked, "Does the name 'Harry Potter' mean anything to you?"

"Harry Potter?" Ginny repeated the name, but she displayed no reaction. Draco let out a breath he had not realized he was holding; she must truly not remember, because he did not think she could be that good of an actress.

"No," Ginny continued, shaking her head; she had detected a definite sneer in Draco's voice when he said the name. "Was he responsible for the attack?"

Draco was about to answer in the negative but he caught himself and he said, "I think we should hold that for another time."

Ginny thought she saw something flicker in Draco's expression when she asked the last question, but she was not sure what it meant.

Draco continued, "After all, you just regained consciousness and I don't want do anything that could affect your healing."

"But—" Ginny started to protest.

"Later, I promise," Draco assured her and smiled. "I'd hate for Mrs. Pondergrass to get cross with me because I bothered you with too much too soon."

Draco could not be swayed to answer any more questions and Ginny had no choice but to settle back down in the bed. He gave her hand a squeeze, "Rest for now and we'll talk more later."

When he left Ginny's room, he closed the door quietly behind him and he nearly bumped into Mrs. Pondergrass hovering in the hallway.

"What's wrong with her?" The coldness was back in his voice when he addressed her. "Why can't she remember anything?"

"I'm not sure, sir," Martha replied. "It could be the curse she was struck with or a result of the injuries from the fall. I have also heard of a few cases of memory loss that resulted from emotional trauma the victim suffered."

"Will her memory come back?" Draco asked.

"I'm afraid I cannot say, sir," Martha answered. "Perhaps with time, or after she is told about her past, or about her family and friends, it may."

Draco contemplated her answer for a moment and then he said, "You are to tell her nothing; you will leave all explanations to me. Tell her nothing about her life or about the attack and most especially, do not tell her anything about Harry Potter."

"But why?" Martha asked in surprise. "He's her fiancé!"

"I have my reasons, which are none of your concern!" Draco answered. "I remind you of what I told you when you agreed to take this job. Your life, as well as hers, depends on your discretion."

Martha looked away from him and she wrung her hands nervously.

"You will say nothing!" Draco repeated in a frightening hiss. "Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir," Martha answered in a small voice.

"You had better!" Draco said and he walked away, leaving Martha to stare after him with mounting anxiety.


	10. Swings and Things

**Ch 10: Swings and Things**

Draco went straight to his study and took a seat in the leather chair behind the large mahogany desk. The room's spartan appearance never failed to prick his ire for it no longer resembled the opulent showplace in which his father had taken so much pride and had used to impress both friend and foe. There was not much left after the new Ministry picked the mansion clean of nearly everything of value, claiming it as payment for the 'crimes against the people, both magical and non', committed by his father. Nevertheless, what little remained within Malfoy Manor, along with the few remnants of the family business holdings as good as belonged to him now since his mother no longer showed an interest in any of it.

The fact that he dared to retain only Mrs. Pondergrass along with just two of his parents' servants continued to aggravate him to no end. So few servants was practically uncivilized to his way of thinking, but he had little choice until he saw his most recent venture through. It was proving to be more costly than he had expected and he was now in far too deep to safely pull out, no matter how much he wished he could.

Draco snorted in disgust when his thoughts turned again to the current Ministry. The whole lot seemed to be made up of nothing but Mudbloods and Muggle lovers, especially Shacklebolt. Draco hated the man, almost as much as he hated Potter, regardless of whether they had spared his mother from a sentence in Azkaban or not. To this day, Narcissa insisted she had no idea what Potter had said to the Minister at her trial that had kept her out of prison, nor why he did it; but she knew. Draco was certain of it because he saw the frightened look in her eyes the few times he brought the subject up.

His mother was another troubling matter and he was beginning to worry about her. Of late, she only seemed interested in spending time with her blood-traitor sister and wolf-boy nephew, or whatever relation the little abomination happened to be. It wasn't normal. Although her absence was certainly making it easier to keep the presence of the occupant in the guest wing from her.

He drummed his fingers absentmindedly on the top of the desk as he thought over his conversation with Ginny Weasley. Now that she was awake, she posed a much more pressing matter than the delinquencies of the Magical government or his mother's questionable sanity. Then again, perhaps it was his own sanity that he should be more concerned with. To this day, he did not understand why he had made the impulsive decision not to let the Weasley girl die in the attack that night.

It was a stroke of luck that the girl was suffering a lapse of memory, but he needed to carefully consider what he should divulge to her. Whatever it was, he knew he would have to walk a fine line between telling her enough to keep her content with his answers while withholding what he could so that she would not want to escape.

An insistent knocking on the study door interrupted his thoughts.

"Enter," Draco said and the door opened to admit a tall, thickset man in black robes and a Death Eater mask.

"What do you want?" Draco demanded. "I told everyone not to meet me in my home anymore. And remove that stupid mask before someone around here sees you!"

"You don't tell me what to do no more!" Gregory Goyle stated, but he removed the mask. "'I like wearing it."

"Yeah? And I'm sure he'll be thrilled if the wrong people see you in broad daylight," Draco retorted.

Goyle looked around nervously and stowed the mask in a pocket of his robes.

"Why are you here?" Draco asked curtly.

"You were s'pose to meet him a half hour ago," Goyle said, looking pleased that he was finally in the position of giving Draco Malfoy an order. "He's wanting to see you. Now."

Draco glanced at his watch. His conversation with the Weasley girl had taken longer than he realized.

"Are you his new messenger boy?" Draco sneered.

Goyle stood taller and said proudly, "Guess I am at that. So come on. He said he don't like to be kept waiting."

"I'm coming!" Draco snapped irritably, but mostly to mask the fear he was starting to feel. Draco knew the man needed him, but that didn't mean it was wise to make him angry.

They walked out the side door of the study into the garden and then to the gate of Malfoy Manor where they could Disapparate.

"Hope you have better luck than the last one," Draco said conversationally, shaking his head.

"Huh?" Goyle replied stupidly.

"Your mate, Dingo," Draco replied. "He didn't last very long, did he?"

"What do you mean?" Goyle asked, looking completely confused.

"Nothing," Draco said, wondering how he ever managed to hang out with the dimwit for so many years at Hogwarts.

Draco appeared on the first floor an abandoned building in the center of London. He hated meeting in these types of places, but he never had a choice in the matter. He waited a moment for Goyle to appear, but he remained alone in the dingy room. Goyle never mastered the skill of Apparation while they were at Hogwarts, and for all Draco knew, that fact had not changed. The oaf may very well have ended up on the top of London Bridge. Drawing his wand, Draco made his way toward the stairway and he slowly went up. Whether or not Goyle had the same mental capacity and grooming habits as a gorilla, Draco would still have preferred to have him present rather than going on alone.

Draco stopped outside the door at the top of the stairs and peered cautiously into the dim room. He was there, standing on the other side of the room near the boarded-up window. Just enough light shined through the cracks for him to make out the two men flanking him. Draco knew one of them was Malcolm Baddock, once a fellow Hogwarts student, but he could not be certain of the identity of the other.

"Draco," he said. "Please come in."

Draco stepped into the room and the Golden Masked Death Eater turned to face him. "I don't appreciate having to send someone to remind you of our meeting."

"I apologize…" Draco cleared his throat nervously. The Death Eater was about the same height as he was, but with the expressionless mask and dark traveling cloak, the man seemed much bigger and exuded an intimidating aura. "I had several business issues that required my immediate attention."

"The issues were more important than our work?" the Death Eater asked, walking toward Draco and drawing his wand.

Draco nervously eyed the wand and tightened his grip on his own. He breathed a sigh of relief when the Death Eater merely waved his wand to conjure two comfortable chairs.

Taking the seat offered to him and trying to sound calm, Draco answered, "If I'm to remain in a position to help fund our work, then yes."

"And that's all?" the Death Eater asked.

"Of course. Nothing else would be important enough to detain me. Your contacts in the Ministry are not cheap," Draco said hoping he sounded more confident than he felt.

The Death Eater asked, "Then the reason has nothing to do with losing heart in our revenge against Potter?"

"Of course not!" Draco said emphatically. "Potter deserves everything coming to him."

"And what if I decide he will die?" the Death Eater questioned quietly.

Draco hesitated before he answered, "I have a hard time understanding how a dead man can be made to suffer, which I thought was our goal. Won't Potter be more miserable if he's left alive?"

"I hear he has been quite miserable since his fiancée's death. As I recall, at our first meeting you said Potter testified against your father and that you want to see him pay for the fact that he will rot for the rest of his life in prison."

"Yes, I said I want him to pay. But you never said anything about murder before we attacked Bill Weasley's cottage!" Draco protested.

"Did you think we were just going there to crash a party? Honestly, Draco, both your naiveté and your squeamishness worry me," the man said growing impatient. "It makes me question whether I can count on you."

"I'll hold my end of the bargain," Draco answered, but he could not continue to look at the expressionless gold mask. "You don't have anything to worry about."

"I hope not. But I won't be asking you to kill Potter, so you don't need to worry about getting your hands dirty."

"It's a bit late for that," Draco commented dryly.

"Yes, I suppose it is at that," the Death Eater agreed.

Wanting to change the subject, Draco asked, "Was the explosion near the hospital your attempt at killing the Mudblood?"

He immediately realized this was the wrong question to ask because the Death Eater began to roll his wand between his fingers in an agitated fashion and replied curtly, "The Muggles are blaming it on a gas leak. But we aren't here to discuss the Mudblood's good fortune."

"What do you want to discuss with me, then?" Draco asked.

"Potter's godson; he's a relation of yours, yes?"

Draco snorted in disgust, "The little half-breed is my aunt's grandchild but I prefer not to think of it as related to me, if you don't mind."

The Death Eater ignored Draco's comment and continued, "I've heard that Potter cares quite a bit for the boy."

Draco shrugged, "I wouldn't know."

The Death Eater replied, "But your mother has been spending a lot of time with your aunt lately, and, therefore, the boy, hasn't she?"

"How do you know—" Draco's surprise at the Death Eater's knowledge showed plainly on his face.

Although Draco could not see the smile on the face behind the gold mask, Draco could hear the amusement in the man's voice when he replied, "You forget we have several associates in common. They told me about your mother's activities and your irritation regarding it."

Recovering his composure, Draco responded, "We don't talk about the kid, or about Potter."

"I want that to change," the Death Eater said.

"Why?" Draco asked and then it dawned on him. "You want to go after the kid."

"I do," the Death Eater confirmed. "But it will have to be done carefully and at the right moment."

"Are you planning to kill him?" Draco asked; the thought of killing a child, even a half-breed, made him start to feel ill and he had to concentrate on keeping the revulsion from showing on his face.

The Death Eater shrugged, "Perhaps. But I believe whatever I decide to do to the boy will be a blow to Potter. Although, it won't be easy to get to him. Thanks to Dingo's ineptitude, Potter now realizes I pose a threat to the boy, so he'll be on his guard."

Draco shuddered inwardly at the reminder of Dingo's fate and the man continued, "I want you to keep your ears open; even accompany your mother on one of her visits to see your aunt. I want you to help us find a way to abduct the boy, discretely, of course."

"I'll see what I can do." At least he was not being asked to kidnap or kill the kid himself, Draco thought thankfully. "But my mother may think my sudden interest in relatives that she knows I despise is a bit odd."

"I trust you'll handle the details satisfactorily," the Death Eater replied, "and that you know better than to fail me."

The thinly veiled threat turned Draco's insides to ice and, as he rose shakily to his feet, the only acknowledgement he could muster was a slight nod.

"Excellent," the man replied. "And don't take too long to bring me the information. I'm not always going to be as patient as I was waiting for you today."

**********

Harry and Ron went to see Kingsley Shacklebolt the following Monday afternoon. As expected, Kingsley was very open to the idea of Ron joining the Auror department. It also took very little convincing for him to agree that Ron should start as a field trainee on Harry's team immediately, provided Ron was able to keep up with his basic training studies. Other than Ginny, Kingsley was the only person in whom Harry had confided the details of the time that he, Hermione and Ron were in hiding and hunting down Voldemort's Horcruxes. Kingsley shared Harry's opinion that the experience Ron gained while helping Harry sufficiently prepared him to begin field work right away.

Unsurprisingly, Director Candlehard had greater reservations about allowing another Auror who was personally involved with the Death Eaters' victims to work on the investigation. He eventually gave in to Harry's argument, although, the fact that the Minister of Magic sided with Harry likely impacted the Director's final decision more than Harry's persuasive talents.

On Tuesday morning, Ron went to the Enlistment Office to complete the necessary paperwork and other details required to join the Auror department. Harry stopped by Saint Mungo's to check in with the Healer who treated his injuries after the attack at the coffee shop. Harry no longer needed to wear the sling and he believed his injuries were healed enough so that he should be allowed to report back to work. Unfortunately, the Healer did not agree and no amount of arguing would persuade the man otherwise. It was for this reason that Harry was in a dark mood when he met Ron back at the Ministry's cafeteria for lunch.

"I can't believe I have to wait out the entire week before I can go back! _'I must be completely certain your injuries have healed'_," Harry mimicked the Healer, ignoring the sandwich in front of him. "I got hurt worse than this lots of times when we were at Hogwarts and it didn't get me out of classes nearly as long!"

"I know, mate," Ron answered and took an inhumanly large bite of food. "Isna farw ifya asme."

"What?" Harry frowned, unable to decipher his friend's reply. As Ron continued to chew, Harry snapped irritably, "Hasn't Hermione taught you how to eat like a decent person, yet?"

Ron swallowed and replied, "She gave it up as a lost cause. I was agreeing with you s'all. But since when have you started listening to what other people tell you to do?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well," Ron answered, taking another bite and chewing thoughtfully, "just because you're not supposed to go into work it doesn't mean we can't work on the investigation, does it? I just signed at least fifty forms, ten waivers and a sworn statement that I will uphold Magical Law to the best of my ability, so I'd say that makes it pretty much official. You can start bringing me up to speed on what you and your team have learned so far. I don't start training classes until next week, so maybe you and I can look into a couple of your leads ourselves. Didn't you say Dingo was talking to someone when you saw him in the Dark Specter and that you planned to track him down?"

"Yeah," Harry said, brightened by the thought of doing something to possibly move the investigation along. "That guy with the tattoo. I was going to ask Alicia to follow up on that while I'm out, but if we do it, she can continue to concentrate on the other things she's been working on. We suspect someone in the Security Department may be helping the Death Eaters. Dingo pretty much confirmed someone in the Ministry's helping them when we spoke to him in Knockturn Alley."

"That could explain a few things," Ron said, sounding intrigued. "Like maybe who trashed Bill's brooms."

"That's what we are thinking," Harry agreed. "Alicia is helping Ben look into the backgrounds of all the Security Aurors who were assigned to secure Shell Cottage for the Minister. But they have all checked out so far. On the surface, anyway."

"So why don't you come over to our place for dinner tonight?" Ron asked. "The Healers are letting Hermione come home this afternoon and Mum has already stocked us up with more food than even I can eat. Then we can figure out how we're going to track down Mr. Tattoo."

"Okay," Harry replied, now in a much better mood. "Seeing as I'm not allowed back to work, I think I'll drop by and see Teddy this afternoon before I come over. I did promise to visit with him more."

"See you around six o'clock then?" Ron asked.

"Six o'clock sounds great," Harry replied, taking a large bite out of his own sandwich.

*********

Teddy was thrilled when he answered the knock on the door of his grandmother's cottage and saw Harry standing there. When he told the boy that he was able to stay for the entire afternoon, Teddy started jumping up down with excitement.

"And we can do whatever you want," Harry said, laughing at Teddy's obvious delight.

"Can we go to the park?" Teddy asked expectantly.

"The park?" Harry questioned, immediately regretting leaving Teddy's choices so wide open. Dingo said Teddy was in some of the pictures he supplied to Golden Mask, so a public location could be dangerous.

"Wouldn't you rather I take you flying on my broom?" Harry asked, hoping to persuade Teddy into making a different choice. "Or we could go see Uncle George at his shop." At least then they would be indoors and both George and Lee Jordan would be there if something were to happen.

"I want to go to the park!" Teddy insisted. "Then we can go see Uncle George."

"I don't know, Teddy…" Harry said reluctantly.

"Pleeeeezze?" Teddy begged. "You said whatever I want!"

"I think it's a wonderful idea," Andromeda said coming from the kitchen. This was the happiest she had seen Teddy since Harry's last visit. "It will do both of you some good to get out in the open air."

Harry never said anything to Andromeda about the potential danger Teddy was in because he did not want to worry her unduly. But as Harry thought about it, he figured that there really was no way anyone else would know where they would be.

"The park it is then. But-" Teddy's squeals of delight cut Harry off. When he could finally be heard again, Harry continued, "But, I think we'll go to a different park this time and I'll have to charm your hair again to make you look like a Muggle."

"Can I swing?" Teddy asked.

"Sure," Harry answered, smiling and ruffling the boy's hair, which was bright turquoise once again. "Don't you think I know you only like parks that have swings?"

Teddy enjoyed the afternoon immensely, and Harry found that he did as well. There was only one point when he felt the pang of grief wash over him as he sat alone watching Teddy play in the sand with several Muggle children. It reminded him of the very last time he and Ginny had brought Teddy to a park. On that day they spent several hours talking happily about their plans for the future while Teddy played nearby.

After the park, Harry took Teddy to Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes as he had promised, and, as a result, they ended up arriving back at Andromeda's with their arms full of candy and toys from the shop.

"My goodness!" Andromeda exclaimed as Teddy dumped his load of new treasures on the floor. "Harry, you really shouldn't buy him so much," she scolded, "you'll spoil him."

"This time it wasn't me, honest," Harry defended himself good-naturedly. The time he had spent with his godson left Harry's heart feeling lighter than it had in months. "You'll have to take all complaints up with George. He wouldn't let us leave until he gave Teddy almost everything he wanted. I was lucky to convince him that Teddy shouldn't have Snapping Dragon Clusters until he's a little older."

"But I liked the red ones!" Teddy pouted. "They made the most smoke."

Andromeda replied soothingly, "I'm sure George will still have them a few years from now."

Harry put his armload down on a nearby table and he heard Teddy ask, "Who are you?"

"I guess you can say I'm your cousin."

Harry recognized the drawling voice and he looked around, surprised to see Draco Malfoy sitting with his mother on the other side of the room.

"Teddy, come over and say hello," Narcissa said, gesturing happily to the boy. "I want to introduce you to your cousin, Draco."

Teddy walked over and sniggered, "That's a funny name."

"Teddy! That's not a polite thing to say!" Andromeda admonished.

Draco worked very hard to hide his annoyance with the kid and said, "It's alright. Maybe I think blue hair is funny."

"Be nice," Narcissa hissed to her son. "He's only a child!"

Teddy insisted that Harry change his hair back to its normal blue the minute they arrived in Diagon Alley, and Draco's comment did not seem to bother him in the least.

He grinned at Draco and said, "Yeah? I bet not as funny as this!" Teddy screwed up his face and a large bubblegum-pink streak sprouted across the top of his head.

Draco smirked, "You're right, that is even funnier." Then he looked across the room to where Harry was standing. "Hello, Potter."

"Malfoy," Harry acknowledged.

Several seconds of uncomfortable silence passed until Draco stood up, folding several pieces of parchment. "Thank you for signing these, Mother. I'll see to it right away."

"You're leaving so soon?" Narcissa asked, sounding disappointed. "Won't you stay for dinner?"

Before Draco could answer, Andromeda said to Harry, "I hope you will stay for dinner, too."

"Yes!" Teddy exclaimed. "Please stay, Uncle Hawey!"

"I'd love to, mate," Harry said smiling down at Teddy, "but I already have plans for tonight." Then he looked back at Andromeda, "They're letting Hermione go home from the hospital this afternoon and Ron's asked me over to their place for dinner."

"Awe!" Teddy protested.

"I'll be back to see you soon," Harry promised his godson and bent down to give him a hug.

"Can we go back to the same place?" Teddy asked. "I liked those swings."

"I suppose we can," Harry answered standing up, "if that's what you really want to do."

"Yeah!" Teddy exclaimed jumping up and down.

"I'm so glad to hear that Hermione is going to be alright," Andromeda said as she walked Harry to the door. "Give her my best, would you?"

"I will," Harry answered. At the door he looked back over his shoulder toward the Malfoys and said, "See you later, Mrs. Malfoy." Then he added civilly, "Draco."

After Harry was gone, Narcissa said to her son, "You will stay, won't you? It seems I never see you anymore."

"Maybe that's because you're never home," Draco replied tersely.

A hurt expression crossed Narcissa's face before she replied quietly, "I've told you it upsets me to be there now without your father. It doesn't seem like home anymore."

"I know," Draco replied, less brusquely. He did not like seeing the effect his father's prison sentence had on her. He forced back the anger he felt toward the Ministry and Potter and smiled at Narcissa, "I'll stay if you want me to, Mother."

She replied, "Thank you, Draco."

Sitting through dinner was excruciatingly boring, but Draco pretended to be interested in his mother and aunt's conversation. He even put up with the wolf-boy's incessant chatter and wondered more than once if the kid ever shut up. It took every ounce of willpower he possessed to not blast the little brat across the room, but then, just when he was dangerously close to the breaking point, his suffering paid off.

"May I be excused, Gram?" Teddy asked.

"Yes, you may, Teddy," she answered. "I'd appreciate it if you would take the things you and Harry brought home up to your room."

"Awe, but that will take forever!" Teddy complained.

"Then maybe the next time you shouldn't ask for so much," Andromeda replied.

Draco said, "Come on, kid. I'll help you."

"You will?" Teddy asked.

"Sure," Draco replied getting up from the table.

Andromeda and her sister exchanged surprised glances behind Draco's back, but his apparent new acceptance of this side of her family pleased Narcissa very much.

Once inside Teddy's room, Draco asked, "Where do you want me to put all this?"

"On my bed," Teddy replied.

When Draco put the candy and toys down, Teddy climbed onto is bed and began to rummage through the pile.

Draco said, "You had a good time with P- Harry this afternoon, did you?"

"Uh-huh," Teddy replied as he found the piece of candy he was looking for and popped it into his mouth. "Uncle Hawey is fun."

"Yeah?" Draco responded in an interested tone. "So, other than going to the joke shop, what did you two do?"

"We went to a park," Teddy answered. "This one had biiiiggg swings."

"Swings?" Draco asked, perplexed. "What are swings?"

Teddy laughed, "You don't know what swings are?"

"If I did, would I have asked?" Draco replied with irritation.

"You sit in them and swing back and forth."

"Sounds kind of boring to me," Draco said.

"It's fun," Teddy replied. "Uncle Hawey pushes me good."

"He pushes you?" Draco asked, still not comprehending the concept of swings.

"Yeah." Teddy added proudly, "I go as high as the big kids."

"He uses magic to push you then?" Draco asked.

"Uncle Hawey can't use magic at the park," Teddy replied. "Muggles are always around."

"Harry takes you out around Muggles?" Draco asked surprised. "With that hair?"

"Nah, silly," Teddy laughed. "He changes it before we go. I always ask him to make my hair as black as his."

"I guess that park does sound kind of like fun," Draco mused, remembering Potter had agreed to take the boy back to the same place again. "Maybe I should go there and check out the swings for myself. Which park is it? What's its name?"

"Dunno," Teddy answered, taking another bite of candy.

"Then tell me what it looks like. What kinds of things does it have other than swings?" Draco asked.

Draco headed back home for the evening feeling greatly relieved. Teddy was able to give him a surprisingly good description of the park so, with a little detective work, Draco was sure he could determine which one Potter had taken him to. Finding a way to get to the kid was turning out to be much easier than he thought it would be.


	11. The Death Eater's Wife

The Death Eater's Wife

Ginny walked slowly down the long, dark corridor, her feeling of foreboding increasing with every step she took. It was very cold and damp, and the only source of light emanated from the room in the distance. She wanted nothing more than to turn around and run back to the safety of her bed, but he was waiting for her, and he brooked no disobedience.

In the beginning he was kind and compassionate, and he had provided the support and refuge she so desperately needed. She thought he cared for her, but he eventually revealed what he was truly like under that boyish veneer, and by then she was completely vulnerable and it was too late. At first, she tried to resist him, but he had thoroughly taught her the folly of defiance. She did not have the strength to fight him anymore, and she hated herself for such weakness.

Ginny took a steadying breath in an effort control the trembling in her body. Perhaps she could at least put on a brave face so he would not know just how afraid she was. I will be brave, she tried to convince herself. iI will be brave; I just can't think about what he will make me do this time./i

She came to the end of the tunnel and reluctantly stepped into the room. It was empty and the reprieve allowed her to breathe a momentary sigh of relief. Ginny closed her eyes, telling herself that she had the courage to look him in the face and not cower in fear before him. Indeed, some girls who didn't know what he was capable of might consider him handsome… with his raven-colored hair and his eyes… she was certain his power must be centered in his eyes.

"Welcome back, Ginny."

His voice came from directly behind her; her heart took a frightened leap and began to pound fearfully in her chest. Reminding herself that she was determined to be brave, she turned around slowly. When she saw him standing over her, her resolve crumbled as her fear turned into pure terror, and Ginny awoke in the dark room, stifling a scream.

**********

Over dinner the previous night, Harry had told Ron and Hermione everything his team had pieced together about the case thus far. Hermione was surprised by their suspicions that someone in the Ministry's Security Department could actually be working for Death Eaters, especially with the tightened security precautions Kingsley had put in place to keep such a thing from happening; but even she had to admit that the circumstantial evidence supported their theory and it provided an explanation as to how the Death Eaters were able to attack on the night of the wedding rehearsal.

Now, having donned his mustache and beard disguise once again, Harry entered the Dark Specter Tavern with Ron. They made their way past several groups of people towards the same table at which Harry and Alicia sat during their visit. Harry did not see the man with the tattoo, but the same waitress was on duty and, after a few moments, she walked over to their table.

"What can I get you?" she asked and then she gasped slightly when she looked at Harry. He was not sure whether it was surprise or fear he saw in her eyes.

"Two fire-whiskeys, please," Harry replied politely and she immediately turned and walked quickly to the bar to fill their order.

Harry frowned slightly at her reaction and Ron said quietly, "You seem to have developed a strange way with people, mate."

"That's the waitress who pointed out who Dingo was to Alicia and me," Harry replied. "Maybe she figures I'm the one who killed him since we were looking for him the night he was murdered."

"Do you recon we'll have trouble getting more information from her, then?" Ron asked.

"We'll find out soon enough," Harry answered.

The waitress came back, and without glancing at either Harry or Ron, she quickly deposited their drinks on the table. She started to move away, but Harry's hand shot out and he grabbed her wrist. When she tried to move away, Ron shifted slightly to block Harry's actions from the other tavern patrons.

"Let go of me!" she hissed, trying to pull free from Harry's grasp.

"Don't walk away yet and I will," Harry answered. "I'm hoping you can help me out again."

"Help you?" she asked incredulously, keeping her voice low so that no one could hear over the voices and music in the room. "Why? So you can get someone else killed?"

"Then you don't think I'm the one who killed Dingo?" Harry asked quietly, thinking that her choice of words indicated she didn't think that he was the one who murdered the man. She stopped trying to pull away from him and he released his hold on her.

"No, I don't," the waitress answered and looked around nervously to make sure no one was listening to their conversation. She pulled a rag out of her apron pocket and proceeded to wipe an imaginary spill off their table. She continued in a barely audible whisper, "I don't believe that you would commit coldblooded murder."

"How can you be sure?" Harry asked, surprised by her apparent conviction.

She straightened and with hands-on-hips she whispered, "Do you honestly believe that there's a witch in all of Britain who won't recognize you by those green eyes of yours?"

Ron made a sound somewhere between a cough and a snort as he tried not to laugh, earning him an angry glance from Harry.

He looked back at the waitress and asked, "So you recognized me the last time I was here, too?"

"Yes," she affirmed. "When you work in a place like this, it's healthier to be observant." Then she added with emphasis, "_And_ to mind your own business. If I were you, I'd get out of here. You're not very popular with the lot that in comes here."

"I'm well aware of that," Harry replied, unaffected by her warning.

"Oi!" a gruff voice yelled, causing the waitress to jump slightly. "More drinks over here, girl!"

"I have to get back to work," she said quickly.

"Before you do, can you tell us if you've seen—"

"No!" she answered quickly. Two men sitting at the bar looked toward them and she lowered her voice again, "I can't tell you anything! Just go away and leave me alone!" She backed away, careful to keep her arm out of Harry's reach, and she went to get another round of drinks for the man who had called to her.

As they watched her leave, Ron asked worriedly, "Do you think she'll tell anyone who you are?"

"If she was going to say something, I think she would have done it by now."

They waited for another forty-five minutes, but the waitress refused to go near their table again.

Finally Harry stood up and said "Come on. Let's go."

"We're leaving?" Ron asked as Harry dropped several coins on the table for the drinks.

"Yes, we're leaving," Harry answered.

Once they were outside of the tavern, Ron turned on Harry and said impatiently, "That didn't get us anywhere! You're not giving up, are you?"

"No," Harry answered, walking toward the shadows on the opposite side of the alley. "We're going to wait, and when she leaves to head home, we're going to stop her and ask her about Mr. Tattoo again. Or maybe we'll get lucky and he'll show up and save us the trouble."

Unfortunately luck was not on their side and, as the hour dragged on, no one fitting the tattooed man's description entered the Dark Specter.

They waited another half hour before the waitress came of out the tavern door calling behind her, "See you tomorrow night, Petey," and they heard a distant reply of "G'night, Stella," from inside the tavern.

Stella passed their shadowed hiding place and, not wanting to scare her unduly, Harry quietly called to her.

Stella whirled around, aiming her wand at the shadows that called her name.

"Who's there?" she asked fearfully. "I swear I'll hex you if you try anything!"

Harry had removed his mustache and beard and stepped forward, pulling his hood back slightly so that she could recognize him.

Seeing who had called to her, Stella relaxed slightly, but she kept her wand aimed at him.

"I told you to leave me alone!" Stella hissed. Then her eyes darted around at the shadows and she asked, "Where's the friend who was with you earlier?"

Harry didn't want to frighten her any more and called, "Come and join us, Ron." Ron stepped into the dim light, but Stella continued to survey the shadows wearily.

"We only want to ask you a few questions," Harry assured her.

"Well, I won't have any answers for you!" Stella stated crisply, backing cautiously away from them.

Undaunted, Harry said, "We need find the man Dingo was talking to on the night he was killed; a bald guy with a tattoo of a dancing girl on his arm. I overheard part of their conversation and it sounded like he knew something about what Dingo was doing for the Death Eaters. Do you know where we can find him?"

"He hasn't been in since that night. And I don't know his name nor do I have any idea where he is." She turned around and started walking briskly away from them, but Harry caught up with her and kept pace beside her.

"Then maybe you've overheard something that can help us. Something that might help us track down some of the Death Eaters or their leader."

Stella glanced hesitantly at Harry, but then she looked quickly away again, "Please, just go away and leave me alone! There's nothing I can tell you. I have a four-year-old daughter at home, and I won't do anything that will put her in danger." She paused for a moment and added, "I'm sorry."

"But there is something you could tell us, isn't there?" Harry insisted. Stella ignored him and kept on walking, staring straight ahead.

Refusing to give up, Harry continued, "Stella, I need to find them!" He stepped in front of her, forcing her to stop walking. "You can understand that, can't you? I have to find the man behind the gold mask! He murdered my fiancée!"

"Keep your voice down!" the waitress hissed, looking around nervously.

Harry continued in a quieter voice, "If you don't know where the tattooed guy is, then tell us if you've overheard something. Anything at all that may help us find the people who killed Ginny. You can help us stop them before they kill someone else."

Ron came up next to Harry and further implored, "Ginny was my kid sister and they nearly killed my wife a few nights ago. Isn't there anything you can tell us?"

Stella hesitated for a moment, and then sighed as if resigned to dealing with something that she really didn't want to. "Come on. We can't talk out here; my flat is above one of the shops up this way."

She led them up the alley past the darkened windows of numerous closed shops. There was just enough light from a street lamp for Harry to catch glimpses of the merchandise displayed behind the dirty panes as they passed; shrunken heads with dead glaring eyes, fearsome weapons that looked intended to cause quite a bit of pain before killing their victim, and slimy, unidentifiable creatures floating in murky liquids.

They followed Stella past a few more shops until she halted abruptly and peered down a narrow passage between two of the buildings. She raised her wand suddenly, startling Harry and Ron, whose wands quickly joined hers in pointing down the narrow alleyway.

Not seeing anyone or anything moving in the shadows, Harry whispered, "What is it?"

The waitress's eyes continued to dart back and forth between the sides of the buildings until she was satisfied that they were the only ones present and she lowered her wand.

Stella explained, "Since the Minister of Magic outlawed Apparation or using the Floo into or out of any building within Knockturn Alley, everyone who lives here has to walk to get home now." Then she added somewhat bitterly, "While that may benefit the Ministry and the Aurors, it makes things a lot less safe for the rest of us."

"So why do you live here then?" Ron asked. Harry had been wondering the same thing. Stella did not seem to have much in common with the shady characters that frequented Knockturn Alley.

"It's all I can afford," Stella answered simply and pointed her wand at the lock of a small wooden door. It swung open and she lit her wand, revealing steep steps leading to the floor above. She took a step forward then stopped and turned to Harry.

"Would you mind disguising yourself again? And pull up your hood. I think it's best that Beda doesn't get a proper look at you."

"Beda?" Harry queried.

Stella replied, "The woman who looks after my daughter while I'm working." Then she eyed Ron and added, "You'd better pull up your hood, too."

They did as she bid and followed her up the stairs. At the top, Stella paused to unlock another door and she called quietly, "Beda… I'm home."

Harry and Ron followed Stella through the portal and into a small room that served as both living room and kitchen. There was an ancient stove in one corner and a tiny kitchen table with two chairs nearby. A wireless radio sat atop another small table beside a couch that was positioned along the wall opposite the door they had just entered. Stepping further into the room, Harry saw an old woman wrapped in a dark, tattered shawl seated on the couch. Chamber music drifted from the wireless, but it went quiet when the old woman waved her wand with a gnarled hand.

"You're late!" Beda accused in a gravelly voice, getting slowly to her feet with the aid of her cane. "You think I like waitin' around for you half the night?"

"I'm sorry," Stella answered, apologetically, "but I was—"

"I can see what you were doing!" the old woman interrupted crossly. "Finding a couple'a blokes t'bring home!"

Stella started to protest angrily, "They're just friends—"

"Ha! Sure they are; fine wife you turn out to be!" Beda interrupted again, "Your husband's locked away in Azkaban! Suffering day in and day out for a cause he believed in!"

At the mention of Azkaban, Harry and Ron exchanged glances, but then Harry looked back toward the old woman to whom he was taking an immediate dislike as she railed on.

"This is how you spend your time waiting for my son to get out? Do'in Merlin knows what with other men?" Then with speed that was surprising for her apparent age, Beda brought her cane around, aiming to hit Stella in the head with it.

Stella threw her arms up to protect herself from the imminent blow, but Harry reacted quickly. _"Accio!" _ The woman's wand and cane flew toward him and he caught them both in his outstretched hand.

"Give them back!" she screeched at him. "How dare you take an old woman's wand and cane! Give them back, I say!"

"I will if you calm down," Harry replied firmly. "Stella has done nothing improper. It's as she said; we're just friends of hers."

Beda eyed Harry and Ron hostilely for a few moments before she let out a derisive "Humph!" but in the path of Harry's cold, unwavering gaze she made a concerted effort to compose herself.

"Mummy?" a tiny, frightened voice called from a doorway behind Beda, and Stella rushed over to pick up her daughter.

"Shh, it's okay, darling," Stella crooned as she cuddled the small, blond girl who was dressed in faded pink pajamas. "I'm sorry we woke you."

The girl wrapped her arms tightly around Stella and asked, "Why is Granma yelling again?"

"I just startled her when I came in the door, that's all," Stella answered the girl. Then she said dismissively, "Good night, Beda."

"Arley is going to hear about this! You can bet on that!" She turned to Harry holding out her wizened hand and demanded, "Gim'me my wand and cane, boy!"

When Harry gave them back to her, Beda's crooked finger twitched on her wand and Ron brought his own wand up ever so slightly.

"Humph!" she muttered again, eyeing Ron with disgust before she turned and hobbled toward the door. Both Harry and Ron kept a wary eye on the woman until the door closed behind her.

Stella stood for a moment staring unhappily at the closed door through which her mother-in-law just exited. Then, like she suddenly realized that Harry and Ron were still in the room with her, Stella said, "Excuse me while I put my daughter back to bed."

When she was out of earshot, Ron commented, "The old bat's a bit off her rocker, isn't she? Did you know Stella's husband is in Azkaban?"

"No," Harry answered, frowning. "I don't know anything about her other than she works at the Dark Specter. I wonder who her husband is…"

"His name is Arley McGinnis," Stella said coming back into the room, carefully closing the bedroom door behind her. She went over to the stove and poured water from a heated kettle into three mugs that she took from a cupboard.

"Arley McGinnis," Harry repeated the name and then a look of recognition crossed his face. "We arrested him about six months ago. He was sent to Azkaban along with two others for torturing Muggleborns. He put up quite a fight and Seamus ended up in the hospital for nearly a week because of him."

"I'm not surprised," Stella answered as she added tea leaves from several different tins into three steepers and then placed one in each steaming mug of water. "I know first-hand that Arley is a brute and has a horrible temper."

Harry had not expected the evening to end with them questioning the wife of a known Death Eater and the knowledge made him uneasy. Two other Aurors from his department recently questioned a Death Eater's wife who reported that she had discovered her husband's involvement in illegal activities. One Auror was now dead and the other was still in critical condition in Saint Mungo's, both having been slipped poison by the supposedly distraught woman.

"Cup of tea?" Stella offered. "It's my own special blend."

"That'd be great, thanks," Ron said, taking the mug and bringing it to his lips.

Harry's hand shot out to grab Ron's wrist before he could take a sip, sending most of the mug's contents splashing over Ron's cloak.

"What was that for?" Ron demanded, trying to shake the liquid off his robe before it started to drip onto his shoes.

"Aurors aren't supposed to drink when they're on duty," Harry answered, keeping his eyes on Stella.

"Not even tea?" Ron countered. "I didn't read anything about that in the—"

"Then you must have missed it," Harry replied curtly. "Your husband is a Death Eater?"

"I assure you, my sympathies do not lie with him or with others like him," Stella said and took a deliberate sip of her tea. "Nor do I go around poisoning Aurors like some Death Eaters' wives have been known to do."

"Poison?" Ron repeated, and quickly set the mug down.

"So tell me," Harry said, trying to decide whether they could now believe anything Stella told them, "why does the wife of a Death Eater want to help us?"

"I didn't realize what Arley was really like until after I had married him and it was too late," Stella answered, sighing wearily. She took a seat at the small table but Harry and Ron remained standing. "The people he started to bring home were a horrible lot. They all hated the new government and they talked about wanting to do ghastly things to people they felt were responsible for the Dark Lord's fall." She looked pointedly at Harry, "And, most especially, to you."

"If you say your sympathies aren't with the Death Eaters, why didn't you report them then?" Ron asked accusingly.

"Because I thought it was just horrible, sick talk, and nothing more," Stella answered. "And I think it was, until about nine months ago."

"What happened nine months ago?" Harry asked.

"Arley said that he'd met some people at the Dark Specter who wanted to bring about 'a new order' and that he wanted to be a part of it. They were going to strike back at the Ministry and 'the Mudblood lovers' as he called them and then continue where the Dark Lord left off, including taking revenge on you. One night I had finally heard enough and I confronted him about what they were planning to do. It was stupid; he had been drinking, so I should have known better."

Her voice trailed off and she gazed into her mug for a few moments, but neither Harry nor Ron broke the silence that hung in the air. Finally she continued, "By then, Minister Shacklebolt had set up the alarms to detect when Unforgivable Curses are performed, so instead of using the Cruciatus on me, Arley took my wand away and…"

"He beat you, didn't he?" Harry asked quietly when it seemed that Stella could not continue. He sympathized with Stella's plight, having survived numerous beatings at the hands of his cousin, Dudley, and Dudley's gang of thugs.

Stella nodded in response as tears slid down her cheeks, "I could barely get out of bed to take care of my daughter. Deidra's the only good thing that came out of my marriage to him. But he threatened to hurt her, too, if I interfered with his affairs again, and I have no doubt that he would have."

Harry did not understand how anyone could beat their wife or kid, and he was suddenly wishing they had knocked Arley McGinnis around much more when they captured him.

"After that, I didn't dare mention anything about what he was doing again. When you arrested him, I can't tell you what a favor that was to me. So believe me when I say that you and your team of Aurors are the last people I want poisoned."

Stella sniffed, and continued, "Once Arley went to prison, I knew I'd have to save up some money before I could consider finding a better place to raise my daughter. Oddly enough, being the wife of an imprisoned Death Eater provides me with some protection and it enabled me to get a job at the tavern."

"Where you were able to overhear some of the Death Eaters' plans," Harry said, leading the conversation back to the reason they were there.

"A few things, anyway," Stella affirmed. "They knew I was Arley's wife, so I guess they felt it was safe to talk when I was around; especially after a few drinks. I was very sorry to hear about what happened to your fiancée," and she added to Ron, "and to your wife. But please believe that I did not know what they were going to do."

Harry asked, "What exactly did you hear, then?"

Stella replied, "Just before Arley went to prison, he began talking about someone who was organizing a new group of Death Eaters; someone who always wore a gold mask. He was gaining a reputation for punishing anyone who made him angry, so everyone was frightened of him, but still, they began to join him. There were rumors that something big was going to happen, and when it did, everyone would know that he, the man in the golden mask I mean, had the means and power to avenge the Dark Lord by destroying you and all those who helped the new Ministry."

"Please believe me." Stella looked imploringly at Harry, "I honestly did not realize they were talking about killing your fiancée until I read about the attack in the paper."

Harry remained quiet, staring at a spot on the table in front of the mug of tea that the waitress was now gripping tightly, so Ron asked, "Can you tell us who you overheard talking?"

"None of them have been back since the night Dingo was killed," Stella replied. "And I only know the names of a few of them. One was Harold or Harvey, or something like that, Carrow. I recognized his last name from reading about the Death Eater trials just after the war. But I haven't seen him for a while now."

"Was it Hasmond Carrow?" Harry asked.

"Yes, that was it," Stella confirmed.

"Unfortunately that's not going to help," Harry said. "He was killed by my team in a raid several months ago."

"Oh," Stella said, looking disappointed. "There was Baddock who came in often accompanied by someone he called Joddy."

Ron asked Harry, "Either of those names familiar?"

Harry thought for a moment then replied, "Baddock rings a bell, but I can't place why. The name Joddy doesn't, though. Can you describe what they looked like?"

"I'd say Baddock is average build, and young, maybe 20 or 21. He had brown hair and I remember he had a small scar on his chin. Joddy was probably about your height," Stella said, indicating Harry, "but heavier, dark blond and probably in his mid twenties.

"Of course there was Dingo," Stella continued. "He started coming in a little before the attack on your fiancée and he liked to tell the others that he was helping the man in the gold mask with whatever his plans were concerning you. Joddy always tried to shut him up if he was there when Dingo was."

"Are there any other names you can give us?" Harry pressed.

"Well, there was Mr. Adelcomb," Stella answered tentatively. "I only saw him once about three months ago, but I can't believe that he was a Death Eater; he seemed like such a nice, older gentleman. I remember him because he was well mannered and not like the men who usually come into the Dark Specter."

Harry wondered whether she was talking about Silas Adelcomb, the man Kevin was searching for and whom they suspected discovered a way for the stunned Death Eaters to Disparate the night of the attack. For now he decided to keep his speculation to himself.

Stella continued, "Mr. Adelcomb came in with Joddy… oh, and someone else met them that night… Mr. Adelcomb seemed happy to see him and called him by name… what was it? I remember thinking it was unusual. He didn't stay long and he didn't want anything to drink. He kept his hood up the entire time, but I saw enough of his face to see that he was probably close to your age and that he had very light blond hair."

Harry and Ron exchanged glances and Harry asked, "It wasn't Draco Malfoy by any chance, was it?"

"I would remember if I'd heard the name Malfoy seeing as Lucius Malfoy's trial was all over the news a while back; but Draco…" Stella said, testing the sound of the name and then she shook her head slightly, "I can't remember whether that was it or not."

Stella got up from the chair and took her mug and the mug that Ron had set down over to the sink and then turned back to them, "It's getting very late and I've told you everything that I know."

Taking the not too subtle hint, Harry said, "I appreciate your willingness to tell us this. Thank you."

"Yeah, thanks," Ron sincerely agreed and headed toward the door.

Harry withdrew something from his inside pocket, took Stella's hand and placed it in her palm. When she looked down, she gasped at the galleons she was now holding.

"You don't have to pay me for—"

"I'm not," Harry replied. "It's for Deidra; to help you with finding the better place to raise her that you mentioned."

Tears glistened in Stella's eyes and she said, "You really are an amazing person, Harry Potter."

Embarrassed by her compliment, Harry mumbled a good-bye and turned to follow Ron out the door.

*********

Neither Harry nor Ron had noticed the hunched figure that watched them from the shadows as they passed the previous night and now the old woman smiled greedily to herself as she limped out of the shop and into the slowly waking alley. Beda had been paid well for passing on all that she had heard her ungrateful daughter-in-law telling them.

Joddy watched her leave and said, "The hag was right, she did have information worth our interest."

"Yes, she did," the man agreed, placing the gold mask over his face as he stepped out from the back room.

"Unfortunately, now Potter knows about Baddock and me, so it will be too dangerous to meet the others in the Dark Specter again. But you still have Goyle," Joddy smirked, knowing full well his friend's thoughts on that dimwit.

"And let that oaf lead Potter to me before I'm ready for him?" Golden Mask asked. "I don't think so. Tell Baddock that I want him to lay low for a while. But I think you can procure some Polyjuice potion and continue your role. We'll just have to decide whose identity you'll use."

"Gads, I hate that stuff!" Joddy exclaimed. "Tastes like dragon piss. Can't someone else do it? What about Malfoy?"

"He's working on something else for me at the moment," he replied. "Although, I'm beginning to question whether his heart is really into seeing our plans through." Then he asked in an amused tone, "And how do you know what dragon piss tastes like?"

Joddy ignored him and, instead, asked a question of his own, "What are you going to do about Stella? I never took her for one to have a big mouth."

"I can't blame her for not refusing the Wizarding World's savior, can I?" Golden Mask replied disdainfully.

"You mean you're not going to do anything about it?" Joddy asked in disbelief.

"For now, no," he answered. "Why make her daughter an orphan if I don't have to? All Stella has done is give him a few more pieces to the puzzle and make the game more interesting."

"You consider what we're doing a game?!" Joddy snorted. "She told Potter enough so that if he talks to the right people, he might figure out—"

"By the time he finally fits all of the pieces together, he won't be in the position or the condition to put the knowledge to use."

"I hope you're right about that," Joddy said.

"You'll find out very soon that I am," Golden Mask assured.


	12. Unfamiliar Visage

** Chapter 12: Unfamiliar Visage **

"Malfoy's a part of it I tell you!" Harry insisted.

It was the morning after Harry and Ron's conversation with Stella and, over breakfast at the couple's flat, they were filling Hermione in on all that the waitress had told them. Harry also explained his team's interest in finding Silas Adelcomb regarding the possibility that he had developed the spell or charm that enabled unconscious Death Eaters to disappear from the scene on the night of the attack.

"But, Harry," Hermione said for at least the third time, "Stella said she didn't remember if Draco was the name she heard Mr. Adelcomb use."

"Oh, come on!" Harry exclaimed, his frustration mounting. "Blond hair. About my age. Meeting with Death Eaters. It all fits! I think I should head over to Malfoy Manor and bring him in for questioning!"

"And what if you're wrong?" Hermione insisted. "What if it really was someone else? We haven't heard about Malfoy doing anything that he shouldn't for two years! You can't go around of accusing people—"

"I'm not _accusing_ him of anything," Harry cut in. "Not yet, anyway."

Ron added, "But how many blond, one-time-Death Eaters who still aren't in Azkaban can there be, Hermione?"

Hermione replied, "The Ministry dropped all charges against him after Mr. Ollivander and Luna testified that while they were held captive, Bellatrix Lestrange and Voldemort himself forced Malfoy to participate in their activities. And if you remember, _we_ testified on his behalf that he refused to identify you at Malfoy Manor, Harry. Kingsley said that the Ministry would no longer consider him a Death Eater as long as Malfoy keeps his nose clean, and you have no proof that he hasn't."

Before Harry could counter her, Hermione added, "Besides, questioning him without more evidence would be a big mistake."

"A mistake?" Harry snapped. "Tell me you don't really think it was Malfoy who Stella saw."

"I'm not sure what to think," Hermione answered. "But I don't see how you would be able to question him without essentially accusing him of working with Death Eaters, and it really won't help you to accuse him outright without more proof."

Harry sat back in his chair, and crossed his arms angrily. His instinct was telling him that Malfoy was involved with the Death Eaters in some capacity and his instinct had been correct more times than not in the past; like during their sixth year at Hogwarts when he was convinced that Malfoy was up to something in the Room of Requirement. Hermione had not agreed with his suspicions at that time, either, nor had Ron for that matter.

"And let's say it was Malfoy," Hermione continued, "he sure isn't going to admit anything to you if you do question him, is he? You'd be letting him know that you suspect that he's involved in what's been happening, which means he'd start being more careful. That will make it all the harder to catch him if he really is up to something."

"Fine," Harry reluctantly agreed. "Maybe I don't have solid proof yet; but when I get back in the office on Monday morning, I'm going to assign someone to keep a close eye on him, and the first suspicious thing we see, we're bringing him in." In the meantime, Harry thought to himself, I can at least send a post asking Alicia to start looking into the names that Stella gave us. And I'll also look into whether Silas Adlecomb has any ties to the Malfoys."

Ginny rolled over in the bed, and a thin beam of light shining through a crack in the drapes danced across her face, bringing her completely awake. She had not slept well because she had had the same frightening dream again, which made it the third night in a row. Each time she remembered walking down a dark corridor towards a lit room, and the closer she got to the room, the more frightened she felt. After stepping into the room, someone always came up behind her, and when she turned to see who it was, she would jolt awake with a scream caught in her throat. After that, it took hours before she could fall back to sleep again.

Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she tried to think back to who it was she had seen in the dream, and what it was about him that had frightened her so much. The only thing she was certain of was that the person was male. But whoever he was, she remembered that he had had very dark hair; but no matter how hard she concentrated, his face remained just beyond her vision, and so she finally gave up.

She had been out of the coma for nearly a week now, and as she started to stretch, her muscles still objected painfully to movement after so many weeks of inactivity. Mrs. Pondergrass told her that it would take time for her to heal completely, even with the health potions the nurse continued to give her.

The nurse insisted that she remain in bed for the first few days after she regained consciousness, but the previous morning, Ginny finally had had enough of being treated like an invalid. The adjoining bathroom was adorned with a large, claw-foot tub, and when the nurse came by with her breakfast, she had found Ginny sitting contentedly in a hot bath, trying to soak the aches and stiffness out of her muscles.

While the bath did not completely alleviate the soreness in her body, Ginny felt much better afterwards; thus, she thought it would be a good way to begin this day as well. She carefully placed her legs over the side of the bed and gingerly made her way into the bathroom. She turned on the hot water, selected one of several vials of scented oil, conveniently placed nearby, that she found to her liking, and dribbled a generous amount into the water. Soon a light, floral fragrance filled the room while she sat in a comfortable chair in front of the vanity, waiting for the tub to fill.

Several toiletry items, including a brush and comb, lay on the tabletop, but it was a small, ornate mirror that Ginny reached for. Hoping that perhaps, this time, she would see something that helped her to remember her past, she brought the mirror closer to inspect the still unfamiliar visage. It was downright eerie to look into a mirror at features you knew were yours, yet were completely foreign to you.

The first thing that always struck her was the color of her hair; the thick, bright red mass was cut by golden highlights and it fell in soft waves well past her shoulders. She wasn't sure she liked it, but the color did fit the light, creamy complexion and the soft, chocolate brown eyes that stared uncertainly back at her.

Ginny turned her face from side to side in order to give the features critical scrutiny. The full lips were a soft, rosy pink, and the warm smile displayed a set of straight, white teeth. With some satisfaction, she saw eyebrows that framed the long-lashed eyes nicely. However, the high-boned cheeks and bridge of the straight nose were completely covered in freckles, indicating that she must have spent a good portion of her life outdoors. She wrinkled her nose at the reflection and wondered if she disliked those freckles as much before she lost her memory. However, all in all, the face was attractive, freckles notwithstanding, and she might even go so far as to call it somewhat pretty.

Ginny pushed the mirror away, pulled her hair up into a high ponytail, undressed and sank into the engulfing warmth of the water with a contented sigh. She rested her head against the back of the tub and let her mind wander back to the moment when she first awoke several days ago, and tried to determine why she had felt so frightened then. She remembered hearing a man and a woman speaking in hushed tones beside her, and when she opened her eyes, the first person she saw was Martha who was looking down at her with a kind, but concerned expression.

She did not feel apprehension or fear until she caught her first glimpse of the young, blond man. Strangely, she sensed her initial reaction had less to do with waking up with two perfect strangers standing over her than with actually seeing Draco Malfoy himself; but she had also felt something else, hadn't she? Something like a fleeting feeling that she was_ supposed _to see someone else beside her, and she was frightened and saddened, all at the same time, because she did not. For a brief moment, she had experienced a near overwhelming yearning to see someone else beside her; someone whose hair was darker and whose eyes were completely different from Draco's pale grey ones.

Although, now that it was several days later, she could not fathom why she had felt that way, because she was still unable to recall anyone from her past.

Maybe it was only a reaction to the coldness she had initially perceived in Draco's eyes as he stared down at her. Once it became clear that she did not know him, let alone who she was herself, his manner had changed. Then again, perhaps she had only imagined coldness in his demeanor. While she perceived an underlying aloofness in Draco's manner, he had been polite and he seemed genuinely concerned with her welfare the few brief times he had stopped by to see her since she had awakened.

Mrs. Pondergrass, on the other hand, was warm and very kind, and the nurse fussed over her like a mother hen. However, she seemed somewhat nervous, especially when Draco was around, or when Ginny asked whether the woman knew anything about her past or about the attack that resulted in her current circumstances. All Mrs. Pondergrass would tell her was that Mr. Malfoy was the one who could answer her questions. Unfortunately, Ginny's curiosity remained unappeased thus far, for Draco's visits were brief, and she was told that he was always out on business during the day. Therefore, there had been little opportunity to question him.

Ginny was just getting out of the tub and pulling on a soft bathrobe when she heard Martha knock on the bathroom door.

She bade the nurse to enter and Martha greeted her cheerily, "Good morning, lamb. How are you feeling today?"

"Much better after the bath, thanks," Ginny replied.

Martha smiled, "That's wonderful to hear after we spent so long worrying and wondering whether you would ever regain consciousness."

"I just wish my memory would come back," Ginny said sitting back down in front of the vanity. She pulled her hair out of the ponytail and began to brush out the tangles. "It's so frustrating not being able to remember anything about myself or my past."

"I imagine it must be," Martha responded sympathetically. "But I'm sure your memory will return. Just give it some time."

"I hope so," Ginny replied. "But it's a little nerve-wracking, too."

"What do you mean?" Martha asked as she hung Ginny's damp towel to dry.

"Of course I'm anxious to get my memory back, but I also can't help wondering what I'll remember when I do, and what my life was like," Ginny answered. "Was I happy before all this happened?" Then thinking about the frightening dream from the previous few nights, she added, "Or is there something in my past that is so horrible, I don't really want to remember it?"

"I'm sure a sweet, young girl like yourself has nothing to worry about," Martha said kindly, unable to look Ginny in the eyes. "There may even be a wonderful young man out there somewhere who is deeply in love with you and who misses you terribly."

Ginny chuckled at the thought and said, "Why, Mrs. Pondergrass, I do believe you are quite the romantic."

"That I am," Martha answered quietly. "But that does not necessarily mean it's not true."

"Well, I doubt that it is," Ginny replied, missing the troubled look in Martha's eyes when she continued, "because if there had been someone in my life, he obviously didn't care enough to come looking for me, did he?"

Ginny's words brought to Martha's mind the photo taken of Harry at her memorial service. The anguish and pain it captured in his eyes still haunted her. She desperately wanted to tell the young woman before her that there truly was someone who loved her, who desperately wanted her back and who, she was certain, would move heaven and Earth to find her if he knew she was still alive.

Remembering Draco's warning of the possibly dreadful consequences if she revealed the truth to the girl, Martha changed the subject by addressing her other reason for coming to the girl's room.

"Mr. Malfoy has asked me to extend his invitation to you to join him for breakfast this morning."

"He has?" Ginny asked and she self-consciously gathered the collar of her bathrobe closed about her neck. To her knowledge, she had nothing to wear other than the robe and a nightgown, neither of which would she prance about in a complete stranger's home.

Before Ginny could ask Martha to politely to decline the offer for her, the nurse said, "He asked me to go shopping for you yesterday, so I've laid out some new clothes on the bed."

"He had you buy clothes for me?" Ginny asked, surprised.

"He did. And he was rather generous with the amount he gave me to spend," Martha answered and Ginny noticed the slight frown on the woman's face.

"Is something wrong, Mrs. Pondergrass?" Ginny asked, wondering what was bothering the nurse.

"No… not at all, lamb," she answered and she turned toward the tub to empty the water.

In reality, Martha thought that things were very wrong. When Draco told her that he wanted her to purchase clothes for the girl, he had been very specific as to where she was to shop and what she was to get. She was surprised when she realized his instructions took her to one of the more exclusive and expensive shops in Diagon Alley. She was not suspicious by nature, but she could not help wondering about Draco's motives and whether the intention behind his generosity was completely honorable. In her opinion, Ginny Weasley was still very much Harry Potter's fiancée, whether the girl remembered him or not, and the sooner she was back with him where she belonged, the better.

Martha tried to smile, but she was finding it a very difficult thing to do. "Shall I inform Mr. Malfoy that you will be joining him?"

"Yes, please. Tell him that I will be down shortly," Ginny replied. She found she was looking forward to the prospect of getting away from the room she had been in for five days, not to mention the possibility of finally getting her many questions answered.


	13. True Lies

**Chapter 13: True Lies **

"I'm sorry, Harry," Kevin was saying regretfully when Harry's entire team, including Ron, gathered in their conference room at the Ministry late Monday morning. "We were all counting on Silas Adelcomb to help shed some light on the investigation."

Before Harry and Ron had the chance to brief the others on their meeting with Stella, Kevin reported that his hunt for Silas Adelcomb, along with their hope to answer the question of how the Death Eaters broke through Bill's wards, had come to an unfortunate end.

"Egypt was the last place we could track him to, and he is supposed to have a home near Cairo, although no one could provide me with an exact address. It is possible that he had it protected by a Fidelius Charm. The Egyptian National Auror Office knew I was searching for him, so they contacted me early this morning with the news that some kids broke into the basement of a deserted building and found his body."

"Were you able to determine when he died and what killed him?" Harry asked, taking a deep breath to gain control over his mounting frustration. First, Dingo, and now Adelcomb; another literal dead end.

Kevin answered, "The back of his skull was crushed in, and from the decomposition of the body, they're estimating he's been dead about four weeks."

"So if he wasn't killed by magic," Ben speculated, "we can't be sure whether he was killed by a wizard or a Muggle."

Kevin replied, "Well, given what I've learned about him, he was a pretty powerful wizard, so I have a hard time believing that a Muggle killed him."

"It's unfortunate that we'll never get the chance to question him," Alicia commented ruefully. "Because I've been able to learn more about the traces of magic we found at the coffee shop, and I'm sure Adelcomb is, or I should say was, one of the few wizards who would be able to pull it off. Our speculation was correct and there was a curse, probably on the door, that was set to specifically trigger the explosion when Hermione arrived."

She cast a cautious glance at Ron, but he replied, "It's alright. Harry's already filled me in about it."

"If it does turn out that Adelcomb was not involved, it will certainly limit our pool of suspects," Kevin added. "Targeting a specific individual is pretty difficult magic."

"But it does seem similar to Egyptian curses," Ron said thoughtfully.

"It does?" Harry asked.

"Yeah," Ron replied. "That's how the curses those ancient Egyptian wizards used worked. Bill told me about some of the more difficult ones he had to deal with when he was working in the pyramids in Egypt. One kind in particular was really difficult to break because, even if you were able to detect the magic, it was extremely difficult to determine what the curse would do and how to counter it without triggering it. Bill said most of those curses were meant to be deadly."

"They sound pretty nasty," Seamus commented.

"Most of them were, since the purpose was to keep everyone from getting into the tombs," Ron replied. "Bill said that certain curses were meant to specifically target wizards so they would only be triggered if a wizard touched a particular artifact."

"Well, that would tie Adelcomb to all this," Kevin said, and all eyes turned to him. "I found out that Adelcomb spent some years working as a Curse Breaker in a number of different countries. Although after a certain point, whatever he was doing for a living gets sketchy. From Alicia's description of the magic found at the coffee shop, Adelcomb might have been able to reverse-engineer one of the curses that he learned to break."

"But Adelcomb could not have been the one who cast the curse," Ben announced. "He had been dead for at least three weeks before the explosion."

"The curses in the pyramids lasted centuries," Alicia said. "We're talking of just a few weeks in this case."

Ben replied, "Yes, but Harry said Hermione went to the coffee shop _every_ Thursday after her shift at Saint Mungo's."

"She did," Ron confirmed. "Which means Adelcomb could not have cast the curse because she went to the shop and would have touched the door at least two different times prior to the night of the explosion. Maybe he taught the curse to Golden Mask or one of the other Death Eaters."

"If he did," Alicia said, "then whoever he taught would have to be a talented witch or wizard, themselves."

"But we know that Adelcomb was definitely involved to some extent with the Death Eaters," Harry said, and then he told the others about his and Ron's discussion with Stella.

"I bet you're right, Harry," Seamus said after he had finished. "It had to be Draco Malfoy who met with Adelcomb in the Dark Specter. Maybe he's the one who cast the curse at the coffee shop. You don't suppose he could be the guy behind the gold mask, do you?"

Harry exchanged glances with Ron. He was convinced that Draco was involved somehow, and saying that there was no love lost between him and Draco could be considered an extreme understatement. But Draco had not been able to kill Albus Dumbledore even when his life had depended on it, so Harry had a hard time believing that, only a few years later, he would go to the extreme of murdering Ginny and attempting to kill Hermione, even for revenge against him.

"Malfoy? Golden Mask?" Alicia scoffed. "He doesn't have the balls; plus, I'd be surprised if he has the power to cast that kind of magic."

"I'm not ruling anything out," Harry replied. "I do think there's a good chance that it was Draco who Stella saw at the Dark Specter; so if it was, we need to find out just how much he's gotten back into his old habits. Since he's likely notice Alicia, Seamus, Ron or me following him, I'd like you, Ben, to follow up on it. I want to know every place he goes and everyone he meets with."

"Sure," Ben acknowledged, "I'll start this afternoon."

"I checked into those names that you sent me, Harry," Alicia said. "The name Baddock that your waitress referred to could be Malcolm Baddock. He was in Slytherin while we were at Hogwarts."

"I thought the name sounded familiar!" Harry exclaimed.

"Another ex-Slytherin sounds like a promising lead," Seamus stated. "Why don't I see if I can track him down?"

"Sounds good," Harry said, "and when you get the chance, take another look through the Security Auror files. It may be a long shot, but I'd like to know if anyone has ties to Egypt." Then he asked Alicia, "What about the name Joddy? Were you able to turn anything up on him?"

"Not yet," Alicia replied.

"Okay, keep working on it. Kevin, try to track down who Adelcomb may have spoken to or had dealings with before he was murdered. Maybe he let something slip about the curse or the attack."

And I'll talk to Mrs. Malfoy and find out whether Draco knows Silas Adelcomb, Harry thought to himself.

Ginny descended the curved staircase that led to the parlor wearing a midnight-blue witch's dress with a form-fitting bodice, long flowing sleeves and skirt, and matching slippers. While she could tell everything was made from costly material, she would have been more comfortable wearing something much less formal, such as a pair of jeans and a sweater.

At the bottom of the stairs, Ginny took in her surroundings and was somewhat awed by the wide parlor, with its large crystal chandelier and deep purple walls. The bedroom she was staying in was large, but she had not realized that she was ensconced in a mansion. The subjects within the numerous portraits lining the walls surveyed her haughtily as she passed, but they remained silent. She noticed several areas along the walls were discolored ever so slightly, indicating that pieces of furniture must have been removed recently. The furniture that remained was not enough to fill the large space, which resulted in a rather barren look and feel.

Soon, an old, wizened man shuffled in from another room and came directly over to her.

"Good morning, miss," he said with polite aloofness and a slight inclination of his head. "Mr. Malfoy has asked me to escort you out to the garden to join him there for breakfast."

"Um… thank you," Ginny replied, not at all certain what to think of the man's formality.

Matching his slow pace, she followed him down a hallway lined with more portraits, until they came to a set of large wooden doors. When he waved his wand, the doors opened to a sunny patio and garden and then he moved aside so Ginny could step through the portal. It took her eyes a moment to adjust to the bright sunlight and when they did, she saw Draco Malfoy sitting at a round, ornate wrought iron table reading a newspaper and sipping a cup of coffee.

She walked over to him, but he was engrossed in the article that he was reading, so he did not notice her approach.

"Good morning," she said quietly.

Draco put the paper down quickly and he stood up to greet her with a warm smile. He was at least eight to ten inches taller than she was and his hair was so blond that it looked practically white in the sunlight.

"Good morning," He said, holding out the chair to the right of the one he was sitting in for her. "I'm very pleased that you can join me; and that you are feeling better?"

"I am, thank you," she replied, taking the proffered seat. "And thank you for inviting me to breakfast and for the dress. It was very generous of you to have Mrs. Pondergrass purchase it for me."

"It was my pleasure," Draco replied solicitously. He took his own seat and, when she looked away from him to survey the surrounding garden, he could not help allowing his eyes to traverse the soft curves of her body that the dress accentuated.

The shop he had instructed Mrs. Pondergrass to go to was a favorite of his mother's, and Pansy Parkinson had driveled on and on about the place on several occasions when he took her to Diagon Alley. Thus it was his experience that women enjoyed receiving new clothes, especially expensive ones, and he could only believe that Ginny was no different. Of course, he could not recall Pansy ever coming remotely close to looking as alluring in anything she bought in the shop as Ginny Weasley did at this very moment. While he had to keep close tabs on every Galleon he spent these days, in this instance, the expense was well worth it.

"I was correct in my assumption that you would complement the dress very well." He was amused to see that Ginny blushed slightly at the flattering remark. She didn't get the chance to reply with anything more than a quiet thank you as the old butler came over to the table, levitating a large tray in front of him laden with their breakfast.

Once the plates stacked with bacon, eggs, toast, scones and muffins, along with a large serving bowl of porridge and a decorative silver tea pot were placed on the table, the butler addressed Draco, "May I get you anything else, sir?"

"I think we should be all set, Milholm," Draco replied.

The man shuffled off as Ginny surveyed the quantity of food in front of them doubtfully. "I may not remember much about myself, but I think I can safely say that there is no way I'll be able to eat even a small portion of all this."

Draco smiled at her and replied, "We had no idea what you liked to eat for breakfast, so I thought it might be a good idea to give you a variety to choose from."

"That was very thoughtful, thank you," she replied and selected a scone and a piece of bacon and then proceeded to pour herself a cup of tea. "I think I also still owe you my thanks and gratitude for saving my life."

"No thanks are necessary, Miss Weasley," Draco answered.

Ginny wrinkled her nose and said, "I'd much rather that you call me Ginny. While I'm still getting used to the name, 'Miss Weasley' just sounds much too formal, _Mr._ Malfoy."

He saw her try to suppress a grin which he could not help returning, "Point taken, _Ginny_. And I think I will definitely prefer that you call me Draco."

"Draco it is, then," she said and took a bite of scone, which tasted wonderful.

They ate in silence for a few moments before Ginny said, "I really am very grateful to you and for all that you've done for me. I just keep hoping that my memory will return. Is there anything you can tell me that may help me to remember something?"

"I can tell you a few things," he replied, "but we didn't know each other very well at Hogwarts."

"Hogwarts?" she asked before she remembered he had mentioned it before. "Oh, that was the school you said we attended."

Draco nodded affirmatively, "You were a year behind me and we were in different houses."

"Houses?" Ginny questioned and took another mouth-watering bite of scone.

"The students at Hogwarts are divided into four houses," Draco answered, adding a spoonful of eggs to his plate along with several slices of bacon and toast. "I was in Slytherin, and you were in Gryffindor. I guess you might say the two didn't get on very well, so I was never given the chance to get to know you."

"Do you at least know something about my family?" Ginny asked. "I assume that I must have one. Don't they wonder what's happened to me?"

Draco chewed thoughtfully for a minute before he swallowed and answered, "You do have a family, a rather large one in fact."

Ginny frowned, "Then why haven't I seen them? Did they come by while I was unconscious?"

"No," Draco answered. "For your protection, I still haven't told anyone that you're here."

"For my protection?" Ginny asked, completely baffled. "From my own family?"

Draco asked, "Have you been able to remember anything at all about the attack?"

"No, nothing," she answered. "But maybe if you can tell me more about what happened… as well as exactly why you have kept it from my family that I'm here." When he seemed hesitant, she added, "Please?"

He sighed heavily and said, "I mentioned the day you woke up that you were at a party when they attacked."

"You did," Ginny replied, "but you never explained who the attackers were."

"They were Death Eaters," Draco answered. From the expression on her face he could tell that she did not remember what Death Eaters were, either. He wished he could be so lucky.

Sticking as close to the truth as he could, he explained, "Death Eaters are an organized group of Dark Wizards. The party was actually being held at a cottage that belongs to one of your brothers. As far as I know, most Wizarding families still keep protective wards around their property, but the Death Eaters broke through whatever protections your brother had in place. You were caught in the crossfire near a cliff. When I saw you fall, I flew out and I caught you."

"So you were a guest at the party?" Ginny asked.

"No, my family owns a cottage nearby," which was the truth, if one considered fifteen miles up the coast to be nearby. "Luckily, I had decided to take a ride on my broom that night."

"But I still don't understand why you brought me here. And, why didn't you tell my family?"

"I didn't want the attackers to know where you were," Draco answered, "at least not while you were still unconscious. I wasn't sure whether everyone in your family would keep quiet about what happened so I let them believe that you died in the fall."

"You _what_?" Ginny demanded angrily. She stood up quickly and glared down at him, aghast. "How could you!"

"I did it for your own good," Draco defended calmly. It was _partly _the truth. "Now sit back down so I can—"

"But that's horrible!" She was still incensed. "You can't go around letting people think that someone they care about is dead! Even if you didn't tell them where I was, you could have at least let them know I was alive!"

"I will offer you an explanation, but you will have to sit back down, be quiet and listen," Draco ordered coolly. "Otherwise," he took the napkin from his lap and placed it on the table like he was preparing to leave, "I won't waste anymore of my time because I have plenty of business matters that require my attention."

He had seemed very pleasant whenever he came by her room to see her, and the sudden change in his attitude surprised her. The hardness in his grey eyes told Ginny that he would definitely leave if she did not do as he said. Unfortunately, that would leave her with many more questions than she had started with, which was an option she did not like at the moment.

She glared at him as she slowly sat back down and he replaced his napkin in his lap.

"That's a good girl," he said, not trying to hide his satisfied smirk.

Ginny felt an overwhelming urge to slap that smirk off his arrogant face, but she settled for tossing him angry daggers with her eyes. He may have saved her life, but that did not give him the right to be a condescending prat!

Her display of anger did not seem to bother Draco in the least; on the contrary, it seemed to amuse him. He chuckled softly and then calmly took another forkful of eggs.

Ginny crossed her arms furiously, "Are you always a pompous ass, or is today special?"

Undisturbed, he chuckled again. "No, I'm pretty much like this all the time. But everything I've done, I really believe has been for your own good and to keep you safe. I think the least you can do is hear me out."

"But, my own family?" Ginny protested. "They must be so upset, thinking that I'm dead. I still can't believe that you—"

"Listen to me!" Draco interrupted, growing impatient. This is where he had to walk a fine line between truth and fiction and be very careful with how he phrased what he told her. "I'm sure you have figured out that I'm no saint, nor have I ever claimed to be. I also have a very strong instinct for self-preservation. I know for a fact that Death Eaters are ruthless. I know this first hand because I… have had dealings with them."

He saw that she was taken aback by his confession, but at least she continued to listen without interrupting.

"My father is serving a life sentence in prison for his part in supporting the losing side in the war; a war during which Dark Wizards and Death Eaters ran the government for a while. After the war, my father was tried and convicted for his involvement with them, which means I've been left to oversee what is left of his business dealings. I have discovered the hard way that most of them were not exactly what you would call above-board. I don't necessarily like it, and I am slowly trying to change it, but it takes time. I also know enough about Death Eaters to realize that both of our lives will be in danger if they were to discover I saved you and that you are here."

Draco decided to let her digest what he had just told her and, although he watched her carefully, he continued to eat his breakfast.

Ginny looked away from him not quite knowing what to think about what she had just heard, and she absentmindedly picked several raisins out of the scone on her plate. What sort of man was Draco Malfoy if he, admittedly, was mixed up with the very people who had tried to kill her? Could she believe him when he said that he had done what he had for her own good? Her instincts were telling her to be wary of him. But on the other hand, he did save her life, and he had put himself in danger doing it.

As if reading her mind, Draco said, "You do realize that I could have very easily minded my own business that night; but if I had, you would not be sitting here right now."

"Yes, I do realize that," Ginny replied in a quiet voice.

"And I firmly believe that if I had gone to your family either before you awoke or even if you had died from your injuries, they would have blamed me for what happened to you. They would have handed me over to the authorities, or, more than likely, done worse, without caring to find out all the facts first."

"I know I still don't remember anything about anyone in my family," Ginny responded, "but I can't believe it's unreasonable to assume that they would give you a chance to explain what happened."

Draco gave a humorless laugh and said, "Your father vehemently hated mine, and it is an understatement to say that most of your brothers don't care for me very much either. I'm sure they would not shed any tears if the Death Eaters or their leader did me in."

"You mean Harry Potter?" Ginny asked.

Ginny saw her question took Draco off guard and she added, "You mentioned his name when I asked you about the attack before. Is he their leader and responsible for what happened?"

"Oh, Potter is definitely responsible for what happened to you," Draco answered and again Ginny heard the same sneer in his voice that she had heard on the day she awoke from the coma. "And I'm positive that if _he_ found out that you are with me, he'd most likely want to kill me on the spot, and as painfully as possible, I'm sure."

Ginny shuddered, "He sounds horrible."

She was making this almost too easy, Draco thought. "Some of the things he's been reported to have done over the years have led people to think that he is somewhat unstable."

"If he's involved with these Death Eaters, then I'd say they're right," Ginny declared. "But you still haven't told me why they attacked."

Draco answered, "Why does any lunatic do what they do? Maybe due to anger or revenge," and then he added meaningfully, "or obsession."

"Obsession?" she questioned.

Draco replied, "Potter was in my year at Hogwarts so he knew you, too."

"He knows me from school?" Ginny repeated stunned.

Draco nodded in the affirmative, "If I recall, you had a fairly large number of the male population at Hogwarts panting after you."

Color crept into her cheeks again and, to his annoyance, he realized that, not only did he enjoy seeing her blush, he was finding it appealing. What in Merlin's name was wrong with him?

Shaking off the insane thought that he could feel anything but loathing for a Weasley, he reminded himself of his purpose, and he continued, "Potter was one of the ones who fancied you. You actually dated him for a while."

"I _dated_ him?" Ginny gulped incredulously. She found it unfathomable that she had been close to someone who had tried to kill her. Was she that bad of a judge of character? "What could have happened between us that would make him want to…?"

"I have no idea. I didn't keep tabs on Potter's love life, I assure you," Draco answered. With a thoughtful expression like he was attempting to recall memories nearly forgotten, he added, "Now that I think of it, the boyfriend of another girl that he fancied was murdered and Potter was the only witness. Blamed it on Death Eaters, which of course was convenient since they always wear masks. Nobody would be able to identify them."

"But why would he want to kill me?" She asked, half to herself, as a shiver of fear ran through her.

Avoiding her question, he shrugged, and said, "The only thing I know is that if the Death Eaters find out that you are alive, your life will be in danger again. The fewer people who know, the safer you and I will both be for now."

Ginny stared down at the table and they sat in silence for a while until he placed his hand on her arm, drawing her attention back to him. When she looked at him, he saw that she had grown pale and looked frightened.

"I have to go to work now, but I'm sure we can find a way to get word to your parents and brothers that you are alive and well."

"If we do," Ginny said quietly, "and I go back to them, will it put their lives in danger, too?" The members of her family might still be faceless strangers to her, but she could not bear to be the cause of something happening to them.

"It might," Draco responded. "Although, no one can predict what the Death Eaters will do."

"Then maybe you have been right," Ginny replied. "Maybe it is best not to let them know about what happened to me yet; or at least not until I've had the chance to sort everything out."

"If that's what you want," Draco responded casually.

"But what am I going to do?" Ginny asked worriedly. "What should I do about Harry Potter and the Death Eaters? I can't hide forever."

Her soft, floral scent floated tantalizing around him as he leaned closer to her. Looking into her eyes, he said earnestly, "You'll have to trust me when I tell you that I will do everything in my power to keep Potter away from you."

Ginny could hear the sincerity in Draco's words, and wondering how his manner could change from cold arrogance to tender reassurance so quickly, she smiled shakily back at him, "Thank you. And I really do appreciate all that you are doing to help me."

She held his gaze for a moment longer, but then he mentally shook himself and stood up quickly. Flashing her a boyish grin that had served him well when dealing with the opposite sex in the past, he said, "You may think I'm a pompous ass, but maybe you'll come to find out that I'm not all that bad, either." He brought her hand to his lips and placed a kiss upon the back of it, "I'll see you later, tonight."

He walked back toward his study, silently applauding himself. It was working out just as he had hoped. Everything that he said to her had been the truth; it wasn't his fault that she made incorrect assumptions based on what she had heard. She did not want to run back to her family, nor contact them. But more importantly, he was well on his way to ensuring that once he finally did send her home, of course having modified her memory to forget him, Ginny Weasley was going to fear and despise Harry Potter to such an extent, that she might want to do him in herself.


	14. Silver Lining

**Chapter 14: Silver Lining**

Draco headed towards his study to gather the paperwork he needed for his meeting with several of his father's old business associates, but his mind kept straying from his pending meeting to Ginny Weasley.

Once his sanity had returned and the ramifications of his rash decision to save her actually hit him, Draco realized that he had to eventually find some way to be rid of her. Modifying the girl's memory was the only feasible answer, and if he happened to plant the seeds of fear or hatred toward Potter in her mind before he sent her back, it was an added bonus.

He had no problem admitting that she was certainly beautiful, and the alluring curves of her body would make any man pause in admiration. Combining that with her fiery sprit, which Draco would bet nearly every galleon he had extended into the bedroom, it was no wonder Potter was miserable that he had lost her.

Perhaps he should not be in a hurry to send her on her way when getting to know her more intimately could prove to be enjoyable.

Draco arrived at his study, but as he stepped through the door, he was suddenly blasted backward into the wall behind him, knocking the wind out of him. Stunned, he looked up and knew for certain that he had to be looking into the face of Death.

"GIVE ME ONE REASON WHY I SHOULDN'T KILL YOU!"

Between trying to catch his breath and the icy cold fear that threatened to congeal his blood, Draco could not make a sound. In the next moment, he was levitated off the floor and the wand pointing at him slashed violently through the air. He was thrown through the door into his study, where he crashed onto his desk on the other side of the room before landing hard on the oriental carpet.

"No! Please!" Draco pleaded, finally finding his voice and wincing from a sharp pain that shot through his back. He raised his hands in vain to shield himself from the curse that was surely about to strike him. "Don't kill me!"

"_Why not?"_ the angry voice barked. "It's what you deserve!"

"I can explain!" Draco answered fearfully as the bearer of the wand advanced angrily toward him. He thought fleetingly about drawing his wand from the pocket of his robe in an attempt to defend himself, but he knew he would not be able to retrieve it fast enough.

"Explain?" The eyes behind the gold mask flashed dangerously. "You think you can explain away the fact that you deliberately went behind my back and jeopardized everything that I've been planning?"

"No!" Draco began to protest, "I haven't—"

"Was saving Potter's bitch to have her for yourself really worth your life?" Golden Mask demanded.

"I didn't plan to save her that night! It just happened," Draco answered, becoming more terrified as the man bore down on him. "Please! We can still carry out your plan! No one knows she's here!"

"No one?" the man in the mask questioned skeptically. He knew he had to bring his anger under control, for he had to learn for certain whether Draco spoke the truth before doing away with him.

Draco hesitated a moment but then decided that the truth was his wisest choice, "No one but the nurse I hired to care for her and my two servants. But my servants both worked for my father for years; I know they are loyal and can be trusted not to say anything! They know that you've held your meetings here in the past and they remained quiet about it."

"And the nurse that you mentioned?"

"Martha Pondergrass knows better than to talk," Draco answered, relieved that the man's fury seemed to be abating. "But she doesn't know about my tie with you. She's the reason that I no longer wanted to meet with you and the others here at the manor."

"How have you managed to keep the girl here all this time?" asked Golden Mask, lowering his wand slightly, "I'd think she'd run back to Potter at the first chance she got. I find it hard to believe that she's decided to choose you over the Wizarding World's hero."

"She only regained consciousness a few days ago," Draco answered, getting slowly to his feet and not daring to acknowledge the taunt. "She doesn't remember Potter. She doesn't remember anything about the attack or about her past. Not even her name, or her family. And with the way I explained things to her, even if she finds out about Potter, I don't think she'll want to go back to her fiancé any time soon."

"I think you had better tell me everything," the man answered, "starting with the night that you stupidly disregarded my instructions."

Draco explained how he had caught Ginny just before she hit the water on the night of their attack, and then Apparated directly to his mansion with her. He continued to insist that he himself did not understand why he had done it, and he told the man everything up through his discussion with her during breakfast that morning. To Draco's relief, as he spoke, the man in the Golden Mask placed his wand back into the pocket of his robe and he went over to stand near the window that overlooked the garden. Ginny had remained seated at the table for a long time after Draco left, and she was still there. Throughout the remainder of Draco's explanation, the man continued to watch her until she finally stood up and went back into the manor.

When Draco finished, Golden Mask turned to him and asked "Do you know the one reason you're still alive?"

Draco swallowed convulsively and thought, _yeah, you still need my money_, but he dared to only shake his head slightly in the negative.

The man continued, "You've provided me with the perfect way to finish off Potter."

"I have?" Draco asked carefully.

"Yes, you have," the man replied thoughtfully. "What better way to destroy a man than to force him to watch someone he loves die right in front of him for a second time?"

The man's casual talk of murder put Draco on edge, to say the least, and the increasingly familiar tension in his stomach threatened to rise to the point of making him nauseous.

"Don't look so put out, Draco," the masked man said, looking at him carefully. "You still have a little time to entertain yourself with her before then.

"Come to think of it," Golden Mask continued nonchalantly, "it might even be interesting to watch Potter's reaction when he learns that you've had her. And you won't even need to worry about his retribution. Once I have been assured that he has suffered enough, and of course, after keeping my promise to allow our friends their chance at him, it will be my pleasure to finish Potter off myself."

The tone of sadistic anticipation the Death Eater used when he spoke sent chills down Draco's spine. He had no doubt that however the man planned to kill Harry, it was likely to be brutal and harsh. What Harry had done to foster his hatred, Draco could not imagine, nor could he find the nerve to ask. But even though he and Harry had been bitter rivals since their first day at Hogwarts, his involvement in Harry's out-right murder was taking things much farther than Draco wanted to go.

Draco was pulled out of his thoughts when Golden Mask suddenly pulled his wand and went quickly to the study door to look up and down the hallway.

"Did you see someone at the door?" He asked Draco.

Draco shook his head in the negative, grateful for the interruption, "It was probably just one of the servants moving around in a room down the hall. And I've told you that you don't have to worry about them."

The man continued to stand in the doorway for a few moments before he turned back to Draco, shutting the study door behind him.

"Now, shall we get to the reason for my visit today?" The masked man asked, but then continued without waiting for Draco to respond. "I've decided that I need to move my plans regarding Potter along more quickly, so, for your sake, I hope you've made progress toward finding a way to get to his godson."

Fighting to regain his composure, at least outwardly, Draco moved to take a seat behind his desk and leaned back casually, "I have."

"And?"

"What are you going to do with him?" Draco asked before he could stop himself.

"What does it matter to you?" Golden Mask countered. "I thought you don't care about what happens to a half-breed."

"But for some absurd reason, my mother seems to," Draco dared to reply. "She's gone through enough with seeing my father and her friends thrown into prison. I'd prefer to avoid anything else happening that will distress her."

"Your mother is fortunate to have a son who cares so deeply for her," the man replied, looking at Draco thoughtfully. "I can imagine those events were very difficult for her. It would be most unfortunate if she were to lose someone else she cares about, just as I am sure that you would find it distressing should something happen to her."

The Death Eater's tone was pleasant enough, but the underlying threat made it too hard for Draco to continue looking into the face of the golden mask.

As Draco turned his eyes to the floor, the Death Eater continued, "But I'm sure you won't let it come to that, will you, Draco?"

"No, of course not," Draco replied quietly.

"Good," the Death Eater said shortly. "However, I may be persuaded to use the boy to hurt Potter in a way that won't cause permanent damage. So tell me, what information do you have?"

Draco knew that was the most he could hope for and he answered, "Apparently, he likes to take the kid to a Muggle park and I overheard him saying that they'd be going there again soon. I checked the place out. Wolf boy likes to play on the swings and those happen to be conveniently located near a small wooded area. Potter will have no idea that you know about their plans to go there, so his guard should be down. With nothing but Muggles around, it shouldn't be hard for your men to conceal themselves until they have a chance to grab the kid."

"Not bad, Draco. I like your idea," Golden Mask commented, "That might be the best time to capture Potter, as well. How will you know when they're going to the park again?"

"I can probably get my mother to inform me of their plans," Draco assured.

"Very good," the man said. "You know how to contact me. I'll have people prepared to respond the moment I hear from you."

xxxxxxxxxx

Martha was trembling as she held her breath and prayed that he did not come down the hall. She pressed herself flat against the back of an alcove, barely daring to breathe, for if he saw her, she knew the man in the gold mask would kill her.

The Death Eater had heard her involuntarily gasp from shock when she overheard what he had planned for Ginny and Harry, but at least she had kept her wits about her enough to quickly find a place to hide. When it became apparent that the man was not going to search for the source of the sound, she hurried back to her room, closed the door and locked it.

She sat on the bed, rocking back and forth and wringing her hands fearfully. Deep down she had suspected it, but she had not wanted to believe that Draco was in league with the golden masked Death Eater. She desperately wanted to believe that he actually did just happen to be in the right place at the right time to save Ginny that night, and that he truly did have her best interests in mind.

But what she had just overheard…

Her conscience would no longer allow her to sit back and do nothing while they carried out their plans; but what exactly _could_ she to do? She had read about the Golden Masked Death Eater in the _Daily Prophet_; he was a ruthless, coldblooded killer. What chance did she have of stopping him and his followers? Draco had told her that her life would be in danger if she informed anyone that Ginny was alive. Now she understood why.

But given the fact that the Death Eater was in this very manse, and that she now knew of his plans, wasn't her life already in danger?

And what about the life of her charge, who was nothing more than an innocent pawn in the psychopath's plan for revenge? Over the past few months, Martha had begun to care very much for Ginny; the girl was only a few years younger than her own daughter would be, had she lived. Martha's mind was having a hard time accepting what she had overheard —now that he knew Ginny was alive, the Death Eater still planned to murder her.

Martha's trembling hands massaged her aching temples and, as she tried to grapple with the horror of it all, an anguished moan escaped her lips. He was not only planning to kill a sweet, innocent girl, but he was going to kill Harry after forcing him to watch his love die again.

Oh, God, Harry… poor Harry… she thought.

Martha stood up and stumbled over to her small desk, fumbling in her skirt pocket for the drawer key. Her hands were shaking so badly that she dropped the key several times before she successfully jammed it into the keyhole and turned it. She opened the drawer and picked up a clipping from the Daily Prophet from the top of a pile of many other clippings.

Tears flowed freely down her cheeks as she stared miserably at the picture of Harry that was taken at Ginny's memorial service. The pain and grief in his eyes still stabbed at her heart.

There were many witnesses to his final confrontation with the Dark Lord in Hogwarts's Great Hall. By all accounts she had read, Harry had been willing to pay the ultimate price by sacrificing his own life to free the Wizarding world from terror and evil. He certainly did not deserve what the Death Eater planned for him; to suffer so much more pain and then die a horrible death only to satisfy the whims of a madman.

She could not sit back and allow it to happen! But how could she contact Harry to tell him and, more importantly, how could she get him to believe her?

Martha had overheard Draco telling the Death Eater about the horrible half truths that he had fed to Ginny; half truths that, no doubt, would lead her to completely inaccurate conclusions about Harry. Martha could ask Ginny to come with her, but now the girl would probably be too frightened to go; plus, it would be too dangerous if someone should recognize her. And Martha did not dare to go the Ministry in person to try to speak to Harry, because that would be too public, and either Draco or the Death Eater would find out what she had done.

Draco kept several owls on the premises, so she could write to Harry, and ask him to meet her somewhere. But that might not work because she had read enough in the gossip columns to know that he, like anyone who was famous, received all kinds of crazy letters and communications from people. He thought Ginny was dead; without bringing the girl with her, how was she going to prove to him that she was not just some crazy old crackpot?

Then her eyes landed on a small box nestled in the drawer beside the clippings, and she realized there might be a way.

Before she lost her resolve, Martha reached for a piece of parchment and a quill, and began to compose a note to Harry Potter.

xxxxxxx

Harry stopped by Andromeda's house for a quick visit with her and Teddy, but he had also used it as an excuse to ask Narcissa Malfoy if she was acquainted with Silas Adelcomb. As it turned out, he was, indeed, an old family friend of the Malfoys and, although Harry did not disclose the details, Mrs. Malfoy was understandably distressed to hear of his murder.

It also solidified in Harry's mind that Draco Malfoy was the young blond man that Stella told him and Ron about and, therefore, he was definitely connected in some way to the Death Eaters — and Ginny's murder. Harry was finding it extremely difficult to keep from going straight over to Malfoy Manor and arresting him on the spot, or, more preferably, cursing him into oblivion. But no matter how much he did not want to admit it, he knew Hermione was right: he did not have solid proof of Draco's involvement. Interrogating him, or doing worse, could only result in making it that much more difficult to discover exactly to what extent he was involved. In the long run, it would be best to have Ben keep him under surveillance so they could build up the evidence against him. After that, he would have plenty of opportunity to interrogate Draco privately.

The following day, Harry met Director Candlehard in his office for their weekly review of the case and, just as they were finishing, Stacie knocked on the door and entered.

"Here's the brief of the past week's mail," she said, handing Harry a multipage report. Harry received too many owls for him to review and respond to himself, so the Auror department had assigned several assistants to wade through all mail from anyone Harry did not know personally. The weekly volume had nearly tripled following Ginny's death and only recently had it begun to subside.

"Anything interesting?" he sighed wearily. He usually took a cursory glance through the report, but most of the time, his mail could be sorted into one of three categories: death threats, love letters and marriage proposals, or nut-jobs claiming to have invariably farfetched information pertaining to Death Eaters.

"Well, you only received three death threats this week," Stacie replied and then she added with a smile, "and you're up to a hundred and nine proposals, although fifty seven of those were from the same witch. I won't even tell you what she's prepared to offer you if you stop by her flat some night this week."

"Thanks," Harry replied dryly, "I don't think I want to know."

"So I assume there's nothing credible, as usual?" Director Candlehard asked.

"They checked into a few of the more rational sounding tips," Stacie replied, "and nothing panned out. Although…"

Stacie hesitated with a cautious glance at Harry, and Candlehard prompted, "Although what?"

"An owl just delivered a letter claiming the author had information for Harry about how to find the people who hurt Ginny Weasley." Stacie looked at Harry as if to apologize for saying Ginny's name in front of him. "The only reason I bring it up is that it stuck in my mind because it specifically talked about the people who _hurt_ her, and not, um… well, you know… I just thought it was an odd way to phrase it."

"Harry's team already has their hands full, but I guess I can have someone else look into it," the director said.

"Let me know if you find out anything worthwhile," Harry said quietly and turned to leave.

As he walked away, Harry heard Stacie continue, "The author begged Harry to believe her and said that he has to meet her this afternoon. It also said that she'd only give the information to him."

"Hmp, of course," he heard Director Candlehard say. "Never mind then. It sounds like a typical nutcase looking to get to Harry. Is that what makes you think the writer is female?"

"Actually, it was her post script," Stacie replied. "She wrote, 'Please, Harry, you have to meet me so I can show you my silver lining in the storm to prove I can help you.' It doesn't really make any sense, but I just thought it sounded more like something a woman would write."

Harry halted in his tracks, feeling a sudden knot clench in his stomach. He went back quickly to Stacie and asked, "What did it say?"

The shocked look on Harry's face left Stacie momentarily speechless and he grabbed her by the arm.

"Tell me again!" Harry insisted, his voice loud enough to draw the attention of the people nearby who had been working busily at their desks. "What did the post script say?"

Stacie repeated nervously, "I-it said 'P-please, Harry, you have to meet me so I can show you my silver lining in the storm to prove I can help you.'"

"Does that mean something to you?" Director Candlehard asked, eying Harry quizzically.

"Show it to me," Harry said, ignoring the director's question. "Show me the letter!"

Stacie picked up a file from her desk, withdrew a piece of parchment and handed it to him.

Harry's eyes scanned the short body written in a shaky, but ornate script offering to provide the information to Harry and proof if its validity, along with the address for their meeting, but he reread the post script several times. Sure enough, the author had put the words 'my silver lining in the storm' in quotes.

"How would anyone know?" He asked himself out loud as he continued to frown at the words in disbelief.

"How would anyone know what?" Director Candlehard asked. "Harry, what is it?"

"It was in Ginny's ring," Harry answered.

"Her ring?"

"Her engagement ring," Harry replied, feeling the knot in the pit of his stomach clench tighter. "'My silver lining in the storm' are the words I inscribed on the inside of Ginny's ring. It referred to something she said to me the summer right before Ron, Hermione and I went into hiding; I always remembered it, and after everything was over, I told Ginny that she had been my silver lining when things got really bad during the war."

There was a faraway look in his eyes as he thought about that time in the past, which now seemed like several lifetimes ago.

"When everything that I needed to do seemed impossible, and even when I knew I was going to die, I thought of her. It always seemed to help me somehow. But only Ginny and I knew about the inscription."

"And the jeweler where you bought it," the director corrected.

"I bought it at Gertrand's in Hogsmeade," Harry replied, coming back to the present as if that explained everything.

"So?" Candlehard said, now starting to sound frustrated.

"I bought it at Gertrand's because they are known for their quality and their discretion," he explained. "I wanted to surprise her and not have her find out from some newspaper or magazine that I had bought an engagement ring for her. When I checked around, I found that Gertrand's has a strong reputation for keeping their clientele's purchases quiet. They also provide a charm that allows you to add inscriptions yourself to ensure privacy. So I don't know how anyone else would have learned about the inscription, since Ginny said that she liked the idea of keeping it between the two of us."

"But it sounds like someone did find out about it," Candlehard insisted.

"She must have shown the inscription to one of her friends or maybe to someone on her Quidditch team," Stacie offered. If Harry Potter had gifted her with an engagement ring, she'd certainly want to show off every single detail to everyone she met.

"Maybe…" Harry answered quietly. That had to be the explanation, although it didn't feel right to him, given it had been Ginny's idea not to tell anyone.

"Is it possible that she lost the ring or that someone stole it and she didn't tell you?" Candlehard asked.

"No," Harry answered. "I know she was wearing it the night she died, which means someone she knew well enough to show the inscription to must have sent me that owl. And I plan to meet with whoever it is and find out what this is all about."

"I don't want you going alone," Director Candlehard said. "Take someone from your team with you."

"Right," Harry acknowledged and rushed out of the office.

When Stacie returned to her desk, Devlin Barrett, one of the interns assigned to help with the sorting of Harry's mail, came up to her.

"So Harry thinks one of the tips in this week's mail is worth checking out?" Devlin asked curiously.

"Yeah," Stacie acknowledged, and started to turn her attention to the paperwork on her desk, but Devlin stopped her.

"It was that one I opened wasn't it?" Devlin asked excitedly.

Stacie looked at the girl and frowned. To your face, Devlin would look you straight in the eye while swearing up and down that your most personal secret was safe with her, and then, the moment your back was turned, she'd run directly to her friends (who were just as prolific in spreading gossip as Devlin) to whisper the juiciest morsels into their ever attentive ears.

Stacie knew Devlin was not a good candidate to be assigned to help with Harry's mail, given it would provide her with too much fodder for her gossiping. Unfortunately, Devlin's uncle was a Ministry official of influence who strongly recommended that Devlin be given whichever intern position she wished. It was no surprise the girl chose a position that would provided her access to Harry Potter, even if it was only reading his mail.

Stacie replied meaningfully, "Yes, and don't go around talking about it, do you understand?"

"Oh, I'd never do that!" Devlin replied with wide, innocent eyes.

Less than five minutes later, Devlin was in the privacy of the women's lavatory scribbling a very detailed letter to her boyfriend of a month, explaining the owl that Harry received, his reaction to its contents, and exactly where he was supposed to meet with the letter's author.


	15. Possibility

**Chapter 15: Possibility **

**A/N-** This chapter has taken me a while to post, I know, but between family vacation and some unexpected family issues, I have been left with little time for writing. The next chapter will not take as long to be posted (it's already drafted). I thank you for your patience and for your comments and reviews.

She was doing the right thing, Martha kept telling herself, although she was becoming more and more nervous as the time neared for her meeting with Harry. While she knew it might be faster to go to the Ministry, she was afraid of what would happen if she walked straight in and asked to meet with him. Too many people would see her, and then Draco and the Death Eater would ultimately learn that she was the one who informed Harry Potter that Ginny Weasley was alive and where she could be found. Therefore, she had to meet Harry where there was no chance of anyone seeing them.

But what if he doesn't show up?

Harry will be there, she tried to reassure herself again, and she took a deep breath that did little to ease her apprehension.

Martha felt for Ginny's ring, which she had placed in her pocket, and glanced nervously at the small clock on the wall. She had to leave in just a few minutes and then get back to the manor as soon as she could.

She just needed enough time to explain everything to Harry, show him Ginny's ring as proof that she was telling the truth, and be back before anyone noticed her absence.

Draco's two servants barely spoke more than a few words to her on any given day, and Draco had left the mansion soon after the Golden Masked Death Eater. He rarely returned until well into the evening and so it was unlikely any of them would notice she had left the premises. But lately she had been spending the afternoons having tea with Ginny, which eased the boredom of spending day in and day out cooped up at the mansion for both of them. The young girl would notice her absence, and if she happened to casually mention something to Draco, it would surely raise unwanted questions.

Martha would have to find a plausible reason for excusing herself from what had become an enjoyable afternoon ritual.

Feeling for the ring in her pocket one more time, Martha walked slowly down the hallway toward Ginny's room and knocked lightly on the door. Upon hearing a faint "come in", Martha entered the room.

She found Ginny standing across the room, staring out the window that overlooked the garden and a building that had one time served as a carriage house. Ginny did not turn to greet her but, observing the young girl's profile, Martha could see that she was troubled.

"Are you alright, lamb?" Martha asked tentatively.

"I'm not sure," Ginny answered quietly and then she frowned out the window. "Mrs. Pondergrass, what do you know about Death Eaters?"

Ginny heard Martha's sharp intake of breath, and when she turned toward the older woman, it was impossible to miss the anxious look on Martha's face. Her reaction corroborated Draco's description of the Dark Wizards.

"I see," Ginny said, and then she ventured, "and Harry Potter? From what Draco tells me, he's the worst of the lot?"

If Martha had seemed upset when Ginny asked about Death Eaters, that was nothing compared to the woman's reaction to hearing her mention Harry Potter. Martha placed a visibly shaking hand to her chest and she leaned back heavily against the door.

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Pondergrass," Ginny went to Martha worriedly and reached out to help steady her. "I didn't mean to upset you."

"No, it's alright. I'm fine, lamb," Martha replied, patting Ginny's hand gently. She glanced at the clock on the wall; the girl had to be told the truth! But there was no time for Martha to explain that everything Draco told her was meant to lead her to a most horrific and inaccurate conclusion about Harry. It would have to wait until right after she got back, for it would not do to have Ginny run in fear from him when he came to rescue her.

"Are you sure?" Ginny asked with growing concern. The color had drained from Martha's face and Ginny was afraid that the nurse was going to faint at any moment.

"I just… have a terrible headache, is all," Martha answered shakily. "I think I'd better go rest for a few hours. I'm sorry, but I don't think I'm up to having tea this afternoon."

"Oh, don't worry about that, please," Ginny said sympathetically. "Let me help you back to your room."

"No, that's not necessary," Martha assured her. "I'm sure I'll feel better after I've had a bit of a lie down."

Martha shooed away Ginny's further attempts to assist her and, when she heard the door to the girl's room close, she quickened her pace.

Luck was with her and Martha did not run into any of the other servants. Careful to follow along the edge of the garden where she knew Ginny would not be able to see her from the vantage of the window in her room, Martha made her way out of the gate to where she could Apparate and she disappeared with a pop.

A charmed paper airplane landed on the desk in front of him, which he opened and scanned quickly. He told Joddy it was too dangerous to contact him at the Ministry, so he was surprised to see the message from his friend explaining the details of the owl that Harry received.

He read it through again before Vanishing the parchment to ensure that no one else would see it. Apparently, Joddy's idea to strike up a relationship with that Devin Barrett twit had turned out to be a good one.

Drumming his fingers on his desk, he considered his best course of action.

Someone claimed to have information about the people who had _hurt_ Ginny Weasley, not about the people who _killed_ her. He agreed with the reaction of Candlehard's assistant that Devlin described in her report to Joddy; it was an odd phrase to use, given that everyone thought the girl was dead, including him until that very morning.

It was apparent the potential informant had accurate knowledge of the inscription inside Ginny Weasley's engagement ring, which she was supposedly wearing on the night of the attack; an inscription that Potter believed no one else would know about. Was it just a coincidental hoax by someone who had somehow learned of the inscription, or was it possible that someone who truly knew the girl did not die that night now planned to tell Potter?

He doubted Draco would dare go to Potter with news that his fiancée was alive, and Draco seemed quite certain that no one was aware that he had saved the girl. No one, that was, except for Draco's two servants and the nurse, Martha Pondergrass. Draco said the girl had been unconscious for nearly two months, any one of them would have had plenty of opportunity to examine the ring if they had been so inclined.

So here he was, presented again with another potential loose end, and he did not like loose ends.

Silas Adelcomb had become an unfortunate lose end. His spies within the Ministry had proven their worth by providing him and Adelcomb with important details regarding the magic Bill Weasley used to secure his cottage. At one time, and for the right price, Adelcomb worked to break curses in many places throughout the world, including in the Egyptian tombs. The ease with which the old man applied his years of experience to counter the magical security on the cottage was nothing short of amazing. And the charm Adelcomb developed to ensure no Death Eater would be captured should they be stunned during the attack was brilliant.

Of course, the curse Adelcomb taught him to use to target Hermione Weasley at the coffee shop had not worked as planned, but no one could have predicted Potter would show up that night to mess everything up.

He thought back to the few times he had met secretly with Adelcomb to learn how to cast the charms and counter curses that he needed to carry out his plans. Adelcomb was an old acquaintance of his uncle's, and he had met Adelcomb several times when he had accompanied his uncle to Egypt. Therefore, he always wore the mask during his lessons with Adelcomb, to ensure the old man would not recognize him. But during their last meeting, he was careless and Adelcomb had seen his face.

Adelcomb swore to never give away his identity, but when Adelcomb's back was turned, he conjured a heavy club and hit him with it, thereby avoiding the use of magic that could be traced back to his wand. He had truly not wanted to commit the murder, but unfortunately, he could not be completely sure the old man could be trusted.

Contrary to what he encouraged his 'followers' to believe, he derived no pleasure from killing or having others killed. Potter, of course, was going to be the one exception.

While he disdained Blood Traitors, Mudbloods and Half-breeds, he had never developed his uncle's desire to personally do his part to rid the world of them. The only reason he targeted the Weasley girl, Hermione Weasley and Teddy Lupin was because using them was a perfect way to inflict the level of pain Potter so rightly deserved. Soon it would be time for the Wizarding World's hero to experience the gut wrenching anguish of holding someone he loved in his arms, knowing no magic could save them and that he could do nothing but watch helplessly as both their blood and life drained away.

Then, through Potter's pain and inevitable death, the promises he had made would finally be fulfilled.

But first, there was another potential loose end to be dealt with.

He scribbled the words _'Assess the information. You know what to do if need be.'_ on a piece of parchment, transformed it into a paper airplane, and sent it on its way.

Ron was just getting up from his desk to go to his next Auror class and Ben was preparing to leave to continue his surveillance of Draco Malfoy when Harry entered the room.

"Malfoy is supposed to meet with two of his father's cronies for lunch," Ben said, holding up a thick, flesh-colored string as Harry walked up to them. "I'm going over to the restaurant so I can get the Extendable Ears into place before they arrive."

"Good," Harry acknowledged. "If Malfoy says anything, and I mean absolutely _anything_ at all that sounds even remotely out of line or suspicious, I want to know about it so we can bring him in for questioning." Then he asked Ron, "You off to class?"

"Yeah," Ron answered. "Why? Is something up?"

Harry gave them a brief account of the owl that he had received and about his plan to meet with whoever sent it to him.

"Ginny never told me about the inscription, and Hermione never said anything about it," Ron said. "But she must have told somebody, though."

"Whether she did or not," Harry replied, "I want to find out who sent me that owl."

"I'll skip class," Ron offered.

Harry shook his head. "That's probably not a good idea."

"But this is important, Harry!" Ron insisted. "I'm coming with you!"

Harry replied. "You've already told me that you're worried about keeping up since you're going to class as well as working on the investigation."

"Then I'll come with you," Ben offered. "I can catch up with Malfoy later."

"No!" Harry refused. "I don't want you to miss the chance to overhear something that will give us a reason to bring him in. I'm sure I'll be okay going by myself."

"But you have no idea who'll be waiting for you," Ron protested. "Plus you said Candlehard wants you to take someone with you."

"Candlehard's right, Harry," Ben said. "For all we know it could be a trap."

"What about one of the others, then?" Harry asked, growing impatient. "Do you know where Kevin or Alicia or Seamus are?"

"Alicia and Seamus went down to the Department of Records to follow up on a few leads," Ron answered, "and Kevin—"

"Was in the loo," Kevin said, coming into the room.

Harry glanced at his watch. They had to get moving if they were to make the meeting with whoever sent the letter.

"Let's go," Harry said to Kevin quickly. "You're coming with me."

"Er, sure," Kevin replied with raised eyebrows. "Where are we going?"

"I'll fill you in on the way," Harry replied. "We may have another lead."

No one was around to see Joddy leave the road and walk casually up the long, grass covered lane that led through dense woods to the cottage. Judging by the height of the grass and weeds, he assumed the lane had not been traversed for quite a while.

He could see a small stone building in the distance, and Joddy moved into the trees to mask is approach. When he was close enough to actually get a good look at the cottage, he peered around a large tree and carefully scanned the building and its overgrown surroundings. The cottage seemed uninhabited, which made it the perfect place to meet with someone and not be seen.

Movement in a window caught his attention and he quickly ducked behind the tree. He carefully peered around its rough trunk and watched as someone slowly opened the door. A woman with graying hair poked her head out of the open portal, and then took several steps outside. She stared down the lane for a few moments before going back into the cottage and closing the door.

Joddy quickly stepped around the tree feeling somewhat relieved; she was probably alone, so this was not going to be as difficult as he thought. He glanced at his watch which told him he was calling it very close. If Potter decided to show up early, he would barely have enough time to complete his assignment.

He cast a stealth charm around himself, checked the position of the dagger in his belt, and walked quickly and soundlessly toward the cottage.

Harry had to show up! Martha chanted to herself over and over as she nervously paced around her living room with Ginny's engagement ring held tightly in her hand. She saw no sign of anyone when she stepped outside, but it was still early. There were still several minutes before the time she asked him to meet her.

Normally, the anticipation of coming face to face with Harry Potter would have her feeling close to giddy and knowing that she was to be instrumental in bringing Harry together again with the woman he loved made her happier than she had felt in many years. Unfortunately, her nerves were not allowing her to bask in the full enjoyment the situation warranted; but that would come once Ginny was safely back with Harry again.

She continued her pacing and was about to peek outside again when she heard a knock on the door. Her heart took a frantic leap and, with a deep breath, she reached for the door handle. This was it!

When her eyes landed on the visitor on her doorstep, she paused in confusion, for she did not see the famous bespectacled green eyes and raven-colored hair that she was expecting. Instead, she saw someone with light brown hair who was heavier set and perhaps a few years older than Harry.

"Who are you?" Martha asked, warily.

"I'm from the Ministry's Auror Office," the visitor answered pleasantly.

Martha gaped at him. She had explicitly stated that she would only meet with Harry, so why had they sent a different Auror instead? Was it possible that Harry had not received her letter?

"I've been sent to check out the premises prior to the meeting."

"Oh," Martha said, still too bewildered to think clearly. "I was expecting someone else..."

The woman was obviously surprised to see him, but she did not seem surprised by his claim that he was from the Ministry. Joddy was certain that she had to be the one who sent the owl to Harry, but he needed to find out whether she truly knew anything about Ginny Weasley's whereabouts.

"Yes, I know," Joddy replied in a pleasant tone. "But you must understand that he receives many owls every day. We cannot know which ones come from nice, normal people, or from someone who wants to harm him." Joddy gave her a friendly smile. "I can tell that you are among the former, so I'm sure you can understand the Ministry's position in sending someone along to assess the level of potential danger prior to his arrival."

"So he is coming then?" Martha asked guardedly, thinking it best not to use Harry's name in the event this man was not really an Auror; he wasn't even dressed in Auror robes.

Joddy looked at his watch; his time was growing short, but he smiled and winked conspiratorially at her, "Now that I know you aren't a Death Eater out to get him, Harry should be here momentarily."

Martha relaxed visibly when he used Harry's name. He had to be from the Auror Office if he knew that Harry was supposed to meet with her. It also made sense that the Ministry would want to ensure Harry was not walking into danger.

"I'm sorry," Martha replied. "I didn't mean to be rude. I should have realized the Ministry would want to send someone else as well." Then she looked at him suspiciously, "But if you're from the Auror Office, why aren't you wearing Auror robes?"

"It's just a precaution," he assured her. "I wouldn't want to scare you away before I arrested you if it turned out that you are someone who wanted to harm Harry, now would I?" He continued conversationally, "You know, Harry was very excited to receive your owl."

"He was?" Martha asked, obviously thrilled by the news.

"And I have to say, the information you included in your post script was brilliant," Joddy praised. "It was enough to let Harry know your letter wasn't a hoax, but cryptic enough for anyone else to miss. You haven't had Auror training, have you?"

"Oh, well, no," Martha blushed. "I'm a nurse. I used to work at Saint Mungo's."

"A nurse, huh?" Joddy commented. Was she the nurse he was told Malfoy had hired? "So, where do you work now, if not at Saint Mungo's?"

"I'm, ah… I work in a private home," Martha answered evasively.

"Do you mind telling me how you learned about the inscription?" Joddy asked curiously.

He was asking a lot of questions and Martha was starting to feel uncomfortable.

"I think I'd rather wait and explain that to Mr Potter himself," Martha answered as she nonchalantly moved her hand that held Ginny's ring behind her back.

"What's in your hand?" he asked. It was obvious she was holding something and she was trying to hide that fact from him; it was something small that she became nervous about when he made reference to the inscription Harry said was inside… his fiancée's engagement ring!

So she had the ring with her and she planned to use it to prove to Harry that she knew the truth. That was what he needed to know.

Joddy dropped his friendly demeanour and said, "Show me what's in your hand."

The sudden change in the expression on the man's face shot bolts of fear though Martha and she tried to pull out her wand. Before she was able to bring it completely out of her pocket, the man's hand shot out to grab her wrist, and he pushed her backward into the cottage.

"What are you doing? Get out of my house!" Martha demanded as she feebly struggled to break the man's hold on her.

"I asked you to show me what you're holding!" the man demanded, shaking the wand out of her increasingly numb fingers.

He shoved her back into her living room, where she tripped over an ottoman and fell to the floor. Martha tried to scramble to her feet, but Joddy shoved her back down with his foot.

"It's the engagement ring Potter gave her, isn't it?" he sneered.

Martha froze on the spot and clutched her hand holding Ginny's ring tightly to her chest.

"Get out of my house!" Martha demanded again, but Joddy reached down and wrenched the diamond and emerald ring out of her fingers.

He pulled out his wand and pointed it at her, "Don't move."

He stepped toward the window to examine the inside of the ring more closely in the light. Sure enough, he saw the exact inscription Devin mentioned in her letter to him.

"I'm sorry," he said, looking back at Martha, "but I can't allow you to tell Potter about his fiancée's miraculous survival."

Martha watched in fear as he pulled a dagger from his belt. She tried to scream, but terror filled her to her very core, stealing her voice, as the man threw the dagger at her. The honed blade flew toward her, seemingly in slow motion, before it embedded in her chest clear up to its hilt. When she looked down, she saw a burst of red rapidly expand outward from the protruding knife, covering her sweater.

Then the pain suddenly cut through her and she tried to gasp for breath but found it an extremely difficult thing to do. That's when she heard the voices coming from down the lane. Apparently her assailant heard them, too, because he moved quickly to the window to look outside.

Martha closed her eyes against the pain in her chest, and she heard him swear under his breath. Then he came quickly back to her and when she looked up, she watched in terror as he reached down to pull the dagger from her aching chest, only to plunge it into her helpless body one more time. Then he stepped quickly past her toward the back of the house.

The voices grew louder and, as the world around her began to dim, Martha prayed she would live long enough to tell Harry that his love was, indeed, alive.

Harry and Kevin walked up the grassy lane and, checking is watch again, Harry finished telling Kevin about the owl he had received. It was two minutes before his scheduled meeting with the informant.

"So whoever we're supposed to be meeting claims they can tell you about the people who _hurt_ Ginny," Kevin mulled. "That's not exactly how I would phrase it, either. Although, I'm more curious how someone found out what you put in the ring if you truly believe that she never told anyone."

They walked on in silence for a moment before Kevin said, "Maybe she lost it and someone who knew the ring was hers found it?"

Harry shook his head and answered, "Candlehard said something along the same line. She didn't lose it. She was wearing it the night of the attack."

"You're sure?"

With heaviness in his heart, Harry thought back to Ginny's late arrival at Shell Cottage the night of their wedding rehearsal; he remembered how she had playfully waved her engagement ring at Ron in response to her brother's teasing objection over the passionate kiss they had shared.

"Yeah, I'm sure," Harry replied.

"Then she must have either told someone about it or showed it to someone," Kevin insisted.

"Maybe she did," Harry replied, although his tone indicated he was not convinced that was the case.

"Well, then how else—" Kevin halted suddenly and he looked at Harry with concerned amazement, "You're not honestly thinking…?"

When Harry kept walking up the lane, Kevin continued after him and exclaimed, "Merlin, Harry! What are you doing to yourself? You find out that someone knows about the inscription and sends you an owl using the word 'hurt' instead of… well, killed or murdered or something, and you start thinking there's a possibility Ginny's alive?"

Harry gave him a noncommittal shrug realizing that, as Kevin said it, that possibility, as farfetched as it was, had already taken root in his mind.

"It would be really great if that were true," Kevin said. "And as your friend, I wish it could be, but you have to be rational. This informant claims to have information about the people who _hurt_ her, not about Ginny herself. Besides, she was the starting chaser for the Harpies and she was engaged to you, so it isn't like pictures of her haven't been plastered everywhere. Someone would have seen her and recognized her if she's out there somewhere, wouldn't they?

"I'm sorry, Harry," Kevin continued shaking his head, "but I have to be honest with you. I have a hard time buying it. Where has she been all this time, then? Don't you think she would have contacted you or her family before now?"

Harry remained silent, for he had no answer to Kevin's questions; questions that had already started to ask himself. Was he getting his hopes up about something that, as Kevin said, rationally could not be? And if it turned out that the informant had useful information to share, will it only be about the man behind the gold mask and the Death Eaters and not the information about Ginny that his heart desperately wanted to hear?

He knew the possibility that Ginny survived falling off the cliff and plunging into the churning ocean was very slim, indeed. But what about the fact that someone knew about the inscription? He was certain Ginny never told anyone about it.

As if reading his mind, Kevin said, "There may be a logical explanation for how someone learned about the inscription."

"Okay then," Harry said, resignedly, "let's hear it."

"I assume Ginny did not wear the ring during practices or games, did she?" Kevin asked.

"No, she didn't," Harry admitted, thinking he knew where Kevin's explanation was going. "It's against regulations for players to wear jewellery of any kind on the pitch."

"So then someone must have seen the ring in the Harpies' locker-room or something while she was playing and wasn't wearing it," Kevin concluded. Then he added sympathetically, "I know how hard these past few months have been for you and it's understandable to want to cling to any strand of hope you come across. But you knew Ginny best. If you don't think she told anyone about the inscription, then my guess is she probably didn't. So it's really the only logical explanation."

Until that moment, Harry had not realized how quickly the tiny flicker of hope had ignited within his heart, and his heart did not want to acquiesce to Kevin's explanation.

Determinedly channelling his mind on the meeting ahead to gain control over his darkening mood and the oppressive sadness that seemed to suddenly be pressing down upon him, Harry finally answered, "It still means whoever sent me that owl had access to Ginny at some point and they certainly wanted to get my attention."

Both Harry and Kevin pulled out their wands as they approached the cottage, but the neglected yard gave the appearance that no one had been living there for a while.

"Looks deserted," Harry commented.

"But someone has been here recently. See?" Kevin said, pointing to a spot several metres to their left where tall blades of grass looked like they had either been pushed aside or crushed under foot, making a barely visible path from the woods to the cottage.

When they were within several yards of the cottage, Harry stopped and motioned toward the front door. From far away, it looked closed, but upon closer inspection, they could both see that it stood ever so slightly ajar.

Cautiously, they approached the door and Harry signalled that he would go through first, and for Kevin to cover him from behind. Kevin nodded his understanding and they each took up position on either side of the door. Harry silently counted to three with his fingers, and then he kicked the door open and moved in quickly.

There was very little light in the room and initially, Harry saw nothing out of the ordinary as Kevin came into the room behind him.

"_Lumos!"_ Harry whispered, lighting the tip of his wand.

He saw the woman lying on her side on the floor and he rushed to kneel beside her. Her back was to them, but when Harry examined her closer, he could see that the entire front of her body was covered in blood and a knife was protruding grotesquely from her chest. The woman's eyes were closed and she did not seem to be breathing.

"Is she…" Kevin started to ask.

Harry reached to feel the side of her neck to check for a pulse when they were startled by a door slamming somewhere in another room of the cottage.

"I'll check it out," Kevin whispered and he stepped cautiously toward a doorway on the other side of the living room.

"Kevin! Wait!" Harry called and moved to follow him, but then he felt a feeble grasp on his wrist and looked down in surprise at the woman who was now looking at him and attempting to speak to him.

"Don't try to talk," Harry said to her quietly, torn between helping the woman and his concern that Kevin could be walking into a trap. Realizing that the woman's need was greater at the moment, he said comfortingly, "Hang on. We'll get you some help right away."

The woman shook her head as vigorously as she was able as she began to struggle to sit up.

"No, ma'am, please lie still," Harry admonished gently.

Harry kept his wand lit as he conjured some bandages and pressed them on her wounds.

Martha grabbed at his arm desperately with a blood-covered hand, and when Harry looked down at her, she found herself gazing into the greenest pair of eyes she had ever seen.

"Harry Potter?" she asked softly, but then she was overcome by the stabbing pain in her chest. "It hurts!" she rasped, moving her hand to the knife. Even though she barely touched the knife's handle, Harry was alarmed by the fresh flow of blood the slight movement of the blade caused. Harry gently grasped her hand to move it away from the knife and the woman grabbed his robe, looking at him beseechingly.

"Are you really…?"

"Yes, ma'am," Harry replied, placing his hand over hers. "Now, please lie still and let me get you some help."

"I'm so glad you came…" the woman replied faintly and she clutched at his hand when he started to move away from her again.

Harry could see that the woman was having a difficult time when she tried to speak but he could not help asking, "Did you send me the owl?"

It was difficult for Martha to breathe, but she had to tell Harry about Ginny! Unfortunately her assailant had taken the only proof she could offer that would ensure he believed her.

"I had her ring…" Martha whispered, "to show you…"

"You had Ginny's ring?" Harry asked, his voice now urgent. At her slight nod, he asked, "How did you get it? Where is it now?"

The woman frowned and whispered, "He took it from me… but you have to believe me! She's not—"

The slamming of another door diverted Harry's attention and then the sound of curses being fired somewhere outside reverberated through the house. Worry for Kevin shot through him, but when Harry tried to stand up, the woman grasped desperately at his robes, which were becoming heavily stained with her blood.

She spoke so softly that he could barely make out her words, although Harry thought he heard her say— then he could hear nothing but the sound of more curses being fired.

Harry tried to release the woman's grip on his robes without bumping into the handle of the knife when someone shouted, "Drop your wand!"

Startled by the order coming from directly behind him, Harry looked back to where six Security Aurors were quickly surrounding him and the woman, their wands drawn.

"Put your hands in the air," another Auror commanded, "and move away from her slowly!"

"One of my Aurors went out the back!" Harry shouted at them. "He's under fire and this woman needs help!"

Now that the Security Aurors where there to aid Kevin, Harry turned his attention back to the woman.

"Hang on, ma'am, let me get—" but the pleading in her eyes stopped him. He leaned closer for a better chance of hearing what the she was trying to tell him when the sound of another volley of curses from somewhere outside rang through the cottage again.

The lead Auror immediately called for two of his men to follow him and they rushed out of the cottage.

The remaining Aurors converged on Harry. "We told you to drop your wand!"

"I'm an Auror!" Harry snapped angrily and when he turned to face them, the light from the tip of his wand illuminated the Aurors' faces. Harry recognized two of the three as the large Security Aurors, Quailmire and Jefferson, who had threatened him after his interrogation in Director Candlehard's office. Then, before Harry could say another word, one of them fired at him, the force of the curse knocking him across the small living room.

Harry's head struck painfully against the edge of a wooden table and his wand flew out of his hand. Quailmire and Jefferson rushed at him and, taking advantage of his momentarily stunned state, they rolled Harry onto his stomach before forcefully yanking his arms behind his back.

"_What the hell are you doing?"_ Harry managed to grind out as the side of his face was pressed into the old carpet that covered the living room floor.

Rough cords bound Harry's wrists tightly together, but even with him thus secured, one of the Aurors planted his knee firmly on the middle of his back.

"Caught in the act this time, eh?" The Auror sneered, pressing down harder on Harry's back, making it nearly impossible for him to breathe, let alone speak.

"She's dead," Harry heard someone say. "Let's get him outside."

Harry was pulled unceremoniously to his feet and shoved across the room. He stumbled when they pushed him roughly through the cottage door, and was barely able to keep himself from sprawling head-first onto the ground.

"Are you bloody _idiots_?" he shouted, turning furiously on the Aurors who followed him out of the cottage. "UNTIE ME!"

Jefferson gave Harry a shove backward and Quailmire merely eyed Harry smugly; but the third Auror was looking at him uneasily, "Hey, Zeb? Isn't that Harry Potter?"

"Is it?" Zeb Quailmire asked, pretending to take a closer look at Harry. "I dunno… I don't think so."

"Yes, I'm Harry Potter!" Harry shot at him. "Get these ropes off me!"

"What's going on?" Kevin demanded as he came around the back of the cottage accompanied by the three other Security Aurors. He was limping slightly and one of his arms was bleeding from a long gash that ran from his wrist to elbow.

"Seeing as he's the one that was over the body, we figured he stabbed that woman and was trying to finish the job," Jefferson defended.

"She was already wounded when we arrived!" Harry snapped furiously at him. "Thanks to your interference, she didn't get the chance to provide me with very much information about our case!"

"You mean to tell us you didn't notice that Harry's wearing Auror robes?" Kevin asked heatedly. "And you didn't realize you weren't summoned because of a stabbing but because an Unforgivable Curse was used?"

Harry looked at Kevin sharply. He was so preoccupied and angry with Qualmire and Jefferson that, until that moment, he had not considered the true meaning of the sudden appearance of a team of security Aurors.

"The Taboo was triggered when the real suspect shot the Killing Curse at me," Kevin replied to Harry's questioning look. "Obviously, he missed."

"Untie him, Zeb," said the thin, slightly graying Auror next to Kevin.

Harry turned around impatiently so that the Security Auror could Vanish the ropes that bound him.

Quailmire stepped close to Harry and, slowly removing his bonds, spoke with mock concern, "It's too bad someone else connected to your case has ended up dead. But are you really trying to find whoever did your girl in, or is Jodfree right? Losing her sent you over the edge, not that you had that far to go and now you—"

Without even thinking about what he was doing, Harry swung around with every ounce of strength he possessed and slammed his fist into the Auror's nose with a satisfying crunch.

Caught off guard, Quailmire stumbled backward, holding his now broken and bleeding nose, but Jefferson immediately launched himself at Harry in defense of his friend.

"That's it, Potter! I don't care who you are!" But before the man's heavy fist was able to make contact with Harry's jaw, several of the other Security Aurors seized him, while Kevin pulled Harry backward.

"Let go!" Harry shouted at Kevin. "I've had it with these effing—"

"Harry! Getting into a fight isn't going to help!" Kevin counseled. Kevin was slightly taller and heavier than Harry, but he was not finding it easy to hold him with the use of only his uninjured arm.

The thin Security Auror in command stepped between Harry and the other Aurors, "Quailmire, Jefferson, get back to headquarters! I'll deal with you later. You," he pointed to one of the Aurors who had been restraining Jefferson, "see to the body. The rest of you, check in and around the cottage to see what you can find."

Harry shook off Kevin's hold on him as Quailmire, wiping blood from his nose, and Jefferson cast menacing looks at him and Disapparated. The third Auror who had been with them apologetically handed Harry's wand back to him before joining the others to carry out their commander's order.

"Those two certainly have a problem with you, don't they?" Kevin commented.

"I'm very sorry about that, Auror Potter," the lead Auror said, holding his hand out to Harry. "I'm Auror Aldon Womboltz. Are you alright?"

"I'm just brilliant!" Harry snapped. He was certain he had come so close to learning something important from the woman; if he had only had a few seconds more, or better yet, arrived just a bit sooner so they might have had the chance to save her.

She admitted to sending him the owl and that she had been in possession of Ginny's ring, which explained how she knew to include the inscription in her post script. But_ how_ did the ring come into her possession if Ginny was wearing it when she fell? And what little he heard her say, the words he swore he heard her whisper with her dying breath; was it truly possible…

"Er, Harry?" Kevin asked, interrupting his thoughts.

"What?"

"You sure you're okay?" Kevin asked, now eyeing him with some concern.

Harry realized that Auror Womboltz was still extending his hand toward him.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Harry replied curtly, when the truth was he felt like blasting something to smithereens. Instead he gave the Auror's hand a brief shake and then, indicating Kevin's wounded arm, he asked, "What about you? What happened?"

"The arm will heal," Kevin answered with a shrug, as he waved his wand. White bandages appeared in mid air and began to wrap themselves around the wound.

Then as he continued his explanation, his own frustration was evident, "There was only one man, but I should have been more careful. Unfortunately I didn't get a good look at him since he started firing at me the moment I got through the door. I returned fire and I twisted my ankle when I tried to dive out of the way of one of his curses. Guess I wasn't fast enough, though," he commented with a grimace, "because it hit my arm. We kept firing back and forth, but then he fired the Killing Curse over my head just before he Apparated away."

Kevin paused for a moment frowning and then added, "What I don't understand is why he waited around and didn't leave the moment he knew we were here? And why use the Killing Curse when everyone knows by now that the Ministry has made it Taboo?"

"It doesn't make sense, does it?" Harry agreed, just as perplexed. "But thank God at least you're okay."

"Yeah, no thanks to you," Kevin said. Even though Harry realized Kevin wasn't truly upset, he still felt as though he had let his teammate down. "Where were you?"

"When I heard the first curse, I was going to come out to help," Harry replied, "but then the woman grabbed my arm."

"So she was alive then?" Kevin asked eagerly. "Did she tell you anything?"

"Auror Womboltz," a voice from inside the cottage called, interrupting their conversation.

Harry, Kevin and Womboltz hurried into the cottage where Harry noticed someone had respectfully covered the woman's body with a white sheet.

One of Womboltz's Aurors motioned them down a short hallway toward the back of the cottage where another Auror said, "We've identified the victim as Martha Verbena Pondergrass. This is her residence. But you should take a look in here, sir."

When Harry followed the Auror into the room, he could smell the lingering scent of perfume that was just a bit too sweet to be pleasant; it reminded Harry of something Ginny and Ron's Auntie Muriel would wear.

The room was a small bedroom with a dresser and a double bed with a multi-colored floral quilt. The walls were adorned with old wall paper of a fading vine and leaf pattern and there was one small window decorated with a frilly curtain on the opposite side of room that let in only a meager amount of light.

It took his eyes a moment to adjust before Harry saw the probable reason Auror Womboltz had been summoned; one wall of the room was almost entirely covered with pictures of him that had been cut out of various newspapers and magazines, some of which included the text from the accompanying article. As he stared in surprise at the wall, Harry realized that Martha Pondergrass had painstakingly arranged the photos and clippings in chronological order. It made for a rather eerie but detailed timeline of what the general public knew about his life, from a fading article reporting his survival the Halloween night Voldemort murdered his parents, up through pictures of him and Ginny taken only a few weeks before the Death Eater attack at Shell Cottage.

Harry's eyes lingered for a moment on a photograph of himself and Ginny laughing as he wrapped her in a congratulatory hug following a recent hard fought Harpies victory.

Feeling a sudden and desperate need for fresh air, Harry abruptly left the room and exited the cottage as fast as he could. As he took deep, calming breaths, Kevin came up behind him.

"Martha Pondergrass was quite a fan of yours."

"So it would seem," Harry replied, as breathing slowly became easier for him out in the open air.

"They found several boxes of a lot more articles and magazines under the bed and there is a bookcase full of books about you and Ginny in another room."

When he didn't answer, Kevin continued, "Harry… it looks like she collected nearly everything that has ever been written about you. Maybe…"

Harry turned on him, "Maybe what?"

"Well," Kevin reluctantly replied, "what if I'm right? What if someone, maybe with access to the Harpies' locker room or something, saw the ring? They could have told a reporter…"

"As far as I know, no one has ever written about the inscription in Ginny's ring," Harry replied stubbornly.

"And how much time," Kevin retorted, "have _you_ ever spent reading what people have written about you or Ginny?"

"Not much," Harry sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose under his glasses between his thumb and forefinger.

"So maybe—"

"Kevin," Harry interrupted, "you're probably going to tell me it's just wishful thinking or that I've gone completely mental, but I think there is a very real possibility Ginny is alive."


	16. Beyond the Door

**Chapter 16: Beyond the Door**

Where was she? Or more to the point, where exactly had she gone? Those were the two questions Draco kept asking himself as he paced back and forth across the floor of his study.

His business had concluded early, which allowed him to get back to the manor in time to ask Ginny to join him for dinner. During their conversation, the girl mentioned that Martha had become ill earlier in the day and had retired to her room to rest. Ginny told him she was concerned because Martha did not answer when she knocked on the nurse's bedroom door before dinner to see how she was feeling.

Draco assured Ginny that he would check up on Martha himself and not to worry, but now he was the one who was worried. When the nurse did not answer his summoning knock, he opened the door, only to find the room empty. He had checked the other rooms in the manor and asked the servants to check around the grounds and in the old carriage house, but Martha Pondergrass was nowhere to be found.

Draco checked his watch again, unable to rein in his increasing apprehension. It was now four AM, and there was still no sign of the woman. She obviously had not said anything to Ginny about plans to leave the manor. Was it possible that the woman's conscience had finally driven her to go to the authorities to inform them of all she knew? If that was the case, not only would Ginny's location soon be known, but his own tie with the golden masked Death Eater would become common knowledge.

Draco assumed he was relatively safe while he remained at the manor, but he could not stay hidden here forever. If he ventured anywhere else, Aurors would likely be waiting to arrest him the first chance they found.

And how was Golden Mask going to react when the news broke? Draco did not know the man's identity; nor did he know the identity of the people in the Ministry who Golden Mask was bribing with his money (although he had his suspicions). There was nothing of importance Draco could reveal, even under the influence of Veritaserum. The man behind the gold mask had to realize he did not know enough to jeopardize the man's true identity. _Perhaps, _Draco thought,_ if I play my cards right, the situation will ultimately turn out to be a blessing and provide a way to sever my partnership with Golden Mask before he execute his plans. Then maybe both Ginny and I will come out of this alive. _

But, of course, that still left Harry Potter to contend with.

Draco could hold his own in a duel; he was not afraid of Potter, or at least he would never allow himself to admit it if he was, whether Potter had vanquished the Dark Lord or not. However, Potter held a different and much greater kind of power now which _was_ worthy of Draco's fear. While his mother would not confirm it, Draco was certain Potter had influenced the Minister's decision to keep her out of prison. Therefore, he certainly would have the power and influence to ensure Draco was sent to Azkaban for a very long time if he so chose. And Draco doubted it would matter to Potter one bit that he had actually saved Ginny Weasley from certain death.

Draco was brought out of his thoughts as he stopped in front of the door, not consciously aware that it had been his destination. She was asleep on the other side of the portal; shapely and soft- not to mention smart and spirited. They were qualities that he had never truly appreciated in a woman until he recently came to know Ginny Weasley better.

This was not the first night he had stood outside her door. Sleep seemed to elude him as he lay in his lonely bed lately, and several nights he had cast a Stealth Charm over himself so he could enter Ginny's room undetected. He merely lit his wand and stood at the foot of her bed watching her as she slept, contemplating the attraction she held for him. Was it the only fact that he considered her incredibly beautiful? Or, he had to wonder, was his desire heightened all the more because she belonged to Potter? That was part of it, he reasoned with himself, because he could give nearly every Galleon he had to see Potter's reaction if he saw them together.

Each night, when he looked down upon her, he had to fight his desire to do more, because he very much doubted she would allow it. Even though he was used to getting whatever he wanted, unlike many of the men he knew, forcing himself on a woman was not something he considered pleasurable.

As he stood in front of her door this night, he debated whether to enter her room again. He knew doing so would result in nothing more than unappeasable frustration, so he finally made the decision to go to his own bedroom with the faint hope of getting some fraction of sleep. Draco turned away from Ginny's door, but before he could take more than a few steps, he heard her terrified scream and he charged into Ginny's bedroom.

xxxxxxxxx

Once again Ginny found herself walking toward the room at the end of the long, dark corridor. Although his voice was not audible, she could _feel _him calling to her, commanding that she obey him. She was shaking badly from both cold and fear, but this time her fear went much deeper than ever before. She was no longer afraid for just herself, he wanted someone else now; someone she cared for deeply and whose life was very much in danger.

She finally arrived at the closed door and she stood motionless before it, willing herself to resist his command and go no further.

"_Be a good girl, Ginny, and open the door. You are no longer strong enough to stop me." _

His words were no more than a whisper, but he might as well have been shouting at her, and she cried out in fright. Her heart was pounding against her ribs so hard that she was certain he must be able hear it. Gathering what little courage she had left, she turned around, expecting to see him standing behind her, but, to her surprise, no one was there.

Maybe she could run back and tell everyone what was happening before it was too late. It no longer mattered what they all would think of her if it meant keeping the evil monster from carrying out his plan.

"_No. I won't allow you to go back. Open the door. Now." _

She bit down on her bottom lip to stop her teeth from chattering and with trembling hands and tears running down her cheeks, she did as he commanded.

Ginny flung the door open wide and gasped in surprise, taking in the scene revealed to her through the portal. Instead of entering into the familiar damp, dark room, she found herself standing on a high cliff overlooking the ocean. The sun was just beginning to dip beyond the horizon, painting the sky with stunningly beautiful colors.

"Ginny!"

His voice startled her, but it was not the voice of the one who tormented her in her nightmares. This voice was like the most beautiful music she had ever heard and it filled her entire mind, body and soul with happiness and warmth and… love.

"Ginny?"

She turned towards the sound of her name, and in the distance she saw him walking toward her. He was still too far away for her to make out his face clearly, but she could see the ocean breeze ruffling his dark hair and deep emerald green robes. Although she did not know who he was, she instinctively knew that his presence not only meant security and joy, but he was her sanctuary from her terror. She took a step toward him, smiling happily, and he reached out his hand to her.

"_Now I'll kill him." _

She had not heard the other's approach, but the monster was suddenly standing beside her, his hair as black as midnight and his eyes… his horrible eyes glowing with hatred.

He trained his wand on the man in the distance and fear coiled around Ginny's very soul, making her feel as if she might suffocate. Before she was able to scream out a warning, the curse slammed into its target, knocking the man in the distance to the ground, where he remained as still as death. Then she was suddenly falling over the cliff with her scream echoing around her.

"Ginny! Wake up!"

"_NO! Oh, God, nooooo!" _

It took her a moment to realize that someone was gripping her arms firmly and she began to fight hard against the restraint to gain her release.

"Would you stop hitting me?" Draco shouted, giving her body a slight shake.

"_No! Please no!"_ Ginny cried over and over, and Draco shook her again.

"Wake up!"

Ginny's nightmare was fading rapidly, but her sense of terror and grief was taking longer to dissipate. Slowly she calmed and she finally opened her eyes to see Draco sitting on the bed close… too close… beside her with a firm grasp on her arms.

"Get your hands off me, Malfoy!" she demanded, and she pushed him away with surprising strength for her size.

Draco immediately released his hold on her and moved away from the bed quickly. He watched her cautiously as she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and then looked up at him.

"Draco?" she said, frowning. "I'm sorry… I didn't mean… I guess I was having a bad dream."

"I'd say that's a bit of an understatement," he said crossing is arms. "I came in when I heard you screaming."

She was already unable to recall the details of her nightmare, but she did remember that it had started out the same as the others; there was the cold dark walk down the damp passageway and the man who frightened her so much was nearby. But this time there had been more to the dream; not only had it terrified her, but this time it left her with a deep sense of excruciating grief.

"It was the nightmare again," Ginny whispered shakily, her frown deepening. What exactly had she dreamed? And why was it that when she first opened her eyes and saw Draco holding her, she felt very much like the first time she awoke? Like there was something very wrong about his presence.

"Again?" Draco queried, eyebrows raised. "You mean you've had the same nightmare before?"

"Several times, actually," Ginny admitted, bringing her knees up to her chest and hugging them close with her arms. "Although tonight it was the worst I can remember so far. It started out the same way as the others: I'm walking down a dark passageway and I know someone in the room at the end is waiting for me. Someone horrible who..." she took a ragged breath unable to finish the memory of that part of the dream aloud. "But this time there was something else... I think whoever he was wanted to hurt not only me, but someone else…" She shook her head, frustrated she could not recall more, "but I can't remember the rest, except that it really frightened me."

Ginny decided it was best not to mention how she had felt when she opened her eyes and saw Draco holding her.

"It's four thirty in the morning," Draco said abruptly, "so lie back down and try to get some more sleep."

When she did not move, Draco shrugged, "Have it your way then. I'm going back to bed."

He was nearly to the door when Ginny asked a question that stopped him in his tracks, "Does Harry Potter have black hair?"

"He does," Draco answered slowly, narrowing his eyes at her. "Why?"

"I think I may be dreaming about him," she answered.

"Oh?" Her memory returning was the last thing he needed at the moment.

"I wonder if he's the one who's always in my nightmares," she answered, contemplatively. "I can never see his face clearly, but I know he has very dark hair. Whoever he is, he makes me do things… and he… he hurts me if I try to refuse him."

Draco could tell, by the expression on her face, how much the dreams had truly frightened her.

"I was just wondering, you know…" Ginny continued. "If Harry Potter tried to kill me a few months ago, and you tell me that I dated him, maybe I broke up with him because he hurt me. Maybe for some reason my memory of it is coming back in the dreams."

Draco frowned, considering her theory. While he had purposely led her to believe the worst about Potter, Draco never considered Harry the type who would abuse a woman.

However, he could not associate anyone else with Ginny who would fit the description of the man in her dream. Could her dreams actually be memories starting to surface? He had heard rumors about Harry's childhood and that the Muggles who raised him had been abusive. Did being raised in such an environment cause Potter, who nearly everyone in the Wizarding world considered their hero and savior, to develop a dark, violent side? And, if so, why on Earth would she agree to marry him?

"It's possible, I suppose," Draco replied vaguely. "But why don't you try to get some more sleep and try not worry about it for now."

It was one more thing for Draco to think about, on top of wondering what had happened to Martha Pondergrass, what he was going to do about Ginny Weasley and how he was going to ultimately deal with Golden Mask _and_ Potter.

He was now certain that sleep was not going to come to him tonight, after all.

xxxxxxxxxx

"I still can't _believe _Candlehard gave me a three day suspension!" Harry exclaimed irritably for at least the third time that morning. "Even after Auror Womboltz took my side of it!"

"I know, mate," Ron sympathized, taking a bite of scrambled eggs from the heavily laden plate of food before him. "Quailmire had it coming to him, if you ask me."

Harry and Kevin had filled the rest of the team in on the afternoon's events once they returned to the Ministry the previous day. They had not quite completed their account before Harry was summoned to Director Candlehard's office, where he was given an immediate, albeit curt, lecture regarding his responsibility to set a better example for other young Aurors and that he was to comport himself accordingly from here on. The Director then proceeded to give him the suspension, commencing immediately, thereby giving Harry sufficient time to consider his directive.

Ron and Hermione decided to invite themselves over to Harry's cottage for breakfast after learning the news of his suspension the previous afternoon.

"You shouldn't encourage him, Ron!" Hermione scolded as a pot of tea was placed before her. "Thank you, Kreacher. Harry can't go around punching people!"

"Oh, like you should talk, Hermione," Harry retorted. "I seem to recall you punching Malfoy in the nose a few years back."

"Yeah, hon," Ron swallowed and snorted gleefully, "you really socked him good."

"Oh… well," color crept into Hermione's cheeks.

Harry couldn't suppress a slight grin as he recalled the look of utter astonishment and fear on Malfoy's face that afternoon, not to mention Hermione's current discomfort as she sputtered, "Oh, all right! Quailmire deserved it as much as Malfoy did. But seriously, Harry. I think you need to be very careful and you should keep a closer eye out for those two. Considering their apparent lack of love for you, you don't think they could be involved with the Death Eaters or Golden Mask, do you? Didn't you say that you suspect someone in the Security Office is helping them?"

"We do suspect someone in that department may be helping," Harry replied, "but so far those two have both checked out. We haven't found anything linking Quailmire or Jefferson to Death Eater activity."

"And speaking of Death Eater activity and Malfoy," Hermione said, "did I hear the two of you say something about having him followed?"

"Yeah, Ben's been tailing him," Harry answered. "Malfoy had a meeting with some of his father's 'business associates' yesterday. Ben set up to listen in on their conversation and I hoped we'd have a shot at getting something on him so we could finally bring him in for questioning."

"But according to Ben," Ron continued, "the slimy git didn't say anything that could be considered suspicious."

"Well, maybe that's because he's not guilty of anything," Hermione replied. Harry narrowed his eyes at her and she quickly added defensively, "You have to at least consider the possibility that he's not."

"No, I don't!" Harry insisted. "We know he was seen meeting with Silas Adelcomb at the Dark Specter, along with someone who was overheard talking about Golden Mask's plans!"

"You know someone with very blond hair was seen with them," Hermione corrected.

"Why do you keep insisting it wasn't Malfoy? Who else—"

"Hermione's entitled to her opinion, Harry," Ron cut him off with a warning look. "It's a pointless argument anyway unless we catch him talking about or doing something wrong or illegal, isn't it?"

"Fine," Harry snapped. But Malfoy was up to something; he felt it with a certainty he could not explain. If only he could prove it! He pushed back from the table in frustration, adding under his breath, "Just like I was wrong about him in the Room of Requirement."

Hermione drew breath to retort, but in a not-very-subtle ploy at trying to keep peace between his wife and best friend Ron, quickly changed the subject.

"You haven't told us what happened before those two gorillas and the other Aurors showed up. Was that Martha woman able to tell you anything before she died? Kevin led us to believe that she spoke to you, but he wouldn't say anything more about it. He said you'd have to give us the details if there were any."

"Did she tell you how she knew about the inscription?" Hermione asked, now seeming just as anxious as Ron to drop the subject of Malfoy.

Harry did not respond immediately, and he was thankful Kevin had not mentioned to the rest of the team that he thought Ginny might actually still be alive. He wasn't necessarily concerned about how Seamus, Alicia or Ben would react, but he was not sure how it would affect Ron if he was told that his sister might not have died that night; Harry did not want to give him false hope.

Ginny's death had hit Ron extremely hard, and Harry knew he was trying to act as though everything was back to as close to normal as things could be with his sister gone. But Hermione had confided to Harry, not more than a week ago, that Ron was still having trouble sleeping; a malady that Harry understood completely since it continued to inflict him as well. Hermione told him that she awoke many times in the early morning to find Ron gone from their bed. She said she usually found him sitting on their living room couch looking through family photo albums and, even though he tried to hide it from her, she could see remnants of tears on his cheek.

Before Harry could decide about how much to confide to them, he was saved when Ron swore loudly and jumped up from the table.

"Merlin, Ron!" Hermione exclaimed. "What's wrong?"

"I'm late! My Decrypting Confounding Classifications of Magical Flora and Fauna Contraband exam starts in less than ten minutes!"

"Did you study?" Hermione asked, suddenly looking even more stricken than Ron. "I don't recall seeing you study! You know when we were in school you needed more time to study than—"

Ron rolled his eyes, "Now's really not the time, Hermione! I have to go!"

After watching Ron hastily down the rest of his breakfast and run out the door, Hermione turned to Harry worriedly, "What's he going to do? If he doesn't pass he won't be able to continue to work on the investigation with you!"

"He'll do fine," Harry assured.

Hermione continued more to herself than to Harry, "He'll be devastated if he can't keep working on it! But I don't see how he's going to—"

"Hermione!" Harry halted her. "He'll pass, don't worry about it."

"But if he didn't—"

"He'll pass," Harry repeated. "I helped him study."

"_You_ helped him?" Hermione asked doubtfully.

"Yes, _I_ helped him. Don't look so skeptical!" Harry replied feeling slightly offended. "I did have to pass the class myself to become a licensed Auror, you know. I think that makes me sufficiently qualified to help Ron study for an exam on the subject."

"I suppose…" Hermione said, biting her lip worriedly.

"Trust me, he knows the difference between Valeno Juice and Ardeo Sap," Harry said dismissively, and then the tone of his voice became more serious, "but I'm actually glad he had to leave because I want to talk to you about something before I say anything to Ron, or to anyone else for that matter."

The intense look in Harry's eyes brought Hermione's attention fully upon him.

"What is it, Harry?" Hermione asked.

Harry reached over the table and took her hands firmly into his. "You have to hear me out before you say anything, okay?"

"Okay, but did something happen?" she asked, obviously growing worried. "You're starting to scare me. Is something wrong?"

"No, I think it's just the opposite… I think…" He paused and took a deep breath, keeping his eyes glued to hers. "I think Ginny may be alive."

To Harry's surprise, Hermione said nothing and just continued to look at him.

"Did you hear me?" he asked. "I said, I think Ginny is still alive."

"Yes, I heard you!" Hermione replied sharply as she suddenly jerked her hands out of his. She jumped up from the table, giving him a scathing glare. "How can you, Harry! How can you make a joke about something like that?"

"I'm not making a joke!" Harry declared, now getting up from the table himself, and stepping toward her pleadingly. "God, Hermione, do you honestly think I could? Please, just listen to me! The woman who was murdered yesterday, Martha Pondergrass… she did say a few things to me before she died. She told me that she had Ginny's engagement ring; that's how she knew about the inscription! She said she had it and that the man who stabbed her took it from her."

He paused, letting Hermione digest what he had just proclaimed.

"Then Ginny must have lost it, but that doesn't mean—"

"Think, Hermione! Think back to the night it happened!" Harry urged, starting to pace as he ran a hand impatiently through his hair. "She was wearing the ring that night. She flashed it at Ron when he made some comment about our kiss after she arrived late. She was wearing it when she fell!"

Hermione was still staring at him, her eyes wide with disbelief; she opened her mouth to speak, but she seemed incapable of making a sound.

"Martha Pondergrass also said a few other things," Harry continued. "I couldn't catch everything because by the time we found her she was really weak. But when I started to move away to summon a Healer, she grabbed on to me; it was like whatever she wanted to tell me was more important to her than allowing me to try to get her some help."

He paused and turned to Hermione, who was looking at him like she could not decide whether what he was telling her was wishful thinking on his part or he had gone completely mad.

"I've gone over and over it in my mind, and I know what I heard!" he continued. "I know I heard her say that I had to 'rescue her', and she said someone wants 'to kill you both.'"

"But she might not have been talking about Ginny!" Hermione replied. "She could have been talking about you getting there to rescue her, and… and she was probably afraid that whoever stabbed her might kill you and Kevin, since the two of you were there."

Harry groaned at Hermione's refusal to believe or accept what he was trying to get across to her.

"She said 'recue _her_' not 'rescue _me_', Hermione!" He practically shouted.

He saw Hermione jump from the loud intensity of his declaration and he lowered his voice when he continued, "Please, consider what I'm saying. Just for a moment. I don't care how many pictures the woman plastered on her wall of Ginny and me. I don't believe she was just some fanatical nutter bent on meeting Harry Potter. She knew about the inscription because she actually had Ginny's ring in her possession. She was a nurse. Ron said that Kevin looked into her background after I was suspended yesterday. He told Ron that he had found out she'd gone missing about three months ago. That was not too long after the attack. What if Ginny didn't die? What if she was injured when she fell and someone found her before we could? If she was hurt, she would have needed medical help, wouldn't she? Maybe someone asked Martha Pondergrass to help her."

"If someone found Ginny and she was hurt, why would they hire a nurse?" Hermione asked. "They would have taken her to Saint Mungo's, or to a Muggle hospital. We had people keeping an eye out for her at those as well. And if Ginny is still alive, why hasn't she or someone contacted you or her family to let you know she's alive?"

"Maybe the Death Eaters took her," Harry answered, already prepared for her argument. "That would fit with Martha Pondergrass saying I had to rescue Ginny. She wanted to give me information and she wanted to meet with me alone. She was afraid; afraid that someone would find out that she talked to me."

"I don't know…" Hermione said hesitantly. The expression on her face told him that it pained her to continue, "It's understandable you want to think Ginny is alive, but it just seems too farfetched. I don't want to see you get your hopes up and then get hurt all over again."

"That's not much of an issue, really," Harry said more quietly now, sitting back down at the table. "I've never stopped hurting."

"I know, Harry," Hermione said, her voice full of sympathy as she came back to the table as well. "Ron certainly hasn't, either; none of us has."

They sat in silence for several moments before Kreacher shuffled back into the room.

"May Kreacher get Master Harry something else, sir?" the old elf croaked. "Or something for Mistress Weasley?"

Harry just shook his head in the negative and Hermione responded, "I think we're all set, Kreacher. Thank you."

The elf bowed and, with a snap of his fingers, the dishes before them disappeared before he shuffled away.

"Why do you think someone killed Martha Pondergrass?" Hermione asked suddenly. "Did she interrupt a robbery?"

Harry shook his head, "Nothing in the place was disturbed. I think someone just wanted to stop her from talking to me."

"But how did they find out she was going to be meeting you?" Hermione asked.

"Stacie, Candlehard's assistant, didn't actually tell me about the owl she sent in private," Harry replied. "There was a room full of people who could have overheard our conversation. Candlehard is looking into it."

"Let's say for a moment you're right." Harry looked at her quickly and Hermione qualified, "I'm not ready to say I'm convinced that you are, but let's just say, hypothetically, Ginny is alive. How are we going to find her if there has been no trace of her in months?"

"I don't know," Harry frowned; "but I've been thinking about it a lot since yesterday. Since she hasn't contacted us, whoever she is with— oh, don't look at me like that! Whoever she is with, _hypothetically_ then— obviously doesn't want anyone to know she's alive or where she is. I think our best bet is to find the leak in Candlehard's office and then we can continue the investigation from that angle. I just wish I could go to the Ministry to start looking into it myself.

"Damn it!" Harry slammed his hand down on the table causing Hermione to jump again. "I still can't believe he actually gave me a suspension! For three days!"

"Take it easy, Harry," she admonished. "There's nothing you can do about it for now."

At Harry's disgruntled hrmph, Hermione asked, "Since you have some time, what are you planning to do today?"

"Dunno," he responded. "But I'm supposed to go over to Andromeda's for dinner with her and Teddy tonight."

"Why don't you go over early?" Hermione asked. "Have some fun with Teddy. You said you wanted to spend more time with him. Here's your chance. It may help to make the day go by faster for you."

"I might as well, I suppose," Harry said resignedly.

"Would you mind if I tag along?" she asked hopefully. "I haven't seen Teddy in ages, and if I have to stay home alone one more day, I think I'll scream."

"When can you go back to work?" Harry asked. With the exception of a nearly healed scratch on her cheek, it looked to him like Hermione had fully recovered from the explosion at the coffee shop.

"Well, _I_ think I could have gone back this week," Hermione replied, her annoyance showing through. "But the Healer insisted that I wait until next week. Honestly! Doesn't he realize how much paperwork is waiting for me? It's going to take at least a full week for me to get caught up. I'd be able to sit on my arse in the office just as easily as I can at home and it would certainly be more productive!"

"Then spoiling my godson some more sounds like the thing for us to do," Harry said, getting up from the table. "But I need to run upstairs to get something first. I'll be right back."

When Harry came back down, he was just placing something in his pocket when Hermione met him in the living room.

"You're giving Teddy another Snitch?" Hermione laughed. "Doesn't he have a whole shelf full of them already?"

"This isn't just a Snitch," Harry replied and at her questioning look he added, "I charmed it to act as a Portkey. If we end up taking Teddy to Diagon Alley or the joke shop I want to be prepared to get him out of there quickly."

"Are you expecting trouble?" Hermione asked with raised eyebrows.

"Not really," Harry replied. "I doubt the Death Eaters will try something in broad daylight, at least not with George and Lee and other people around. But where Teddy is concerned, I'm not taking any chances. Especially since he was in some of the pictures that Dingo said he took for Golden Mask."

"It sounds like having a Portkey handy is a smart precaution," Hermione agreed.

"Come on then," Harry answered, holding out his hand to her.

xxxxxxxxx

Teddy was thrilled as always to see Uncle Harry and he considered the fact that Hermione was with him to be an added bonus; she always brought him a fun present from Weasley's Wizard Wheezes just as she did on this day. But as with most young children, it did not take him long to become bored with the new gift and he began to beg Harry to take him back to the Muggle park as his godfather had promised.

It was for this reason that soon after his arrival, Draco looked around Andromeda's living room curiously.

"Where's the kid?" he asked his mother as Andromeda brought out a tray laden with a tea pot, cups and small sandwiches. "By this time, I'm usually ready to hit him with Silencing Charm."

"You really need to learn to be more tolerant, Draco," his mother admonished. "I seem to always be reminding you that Teddy is just a child."

"Yeah, I know," Draco retorted. "A particularly noisy one."

"As I recall, you weren't exactly a quiet boy when you were small," Andromeda said, pouring tea for her sister and herself. "Tea, Draco?"

"No, thank you," he declined. "So where is he? Don't tell me the kid's actually taking a nap."

"We wish," Andromeda chuckled. "But he's not here. Harry came by a little while ago and Teddy asked, no, let me rephrase that, Teddy begged him to take him to the park."

"Harry can never deny that boy anything he asks," Narcissa tutted, but Draco heard her fondness for the kid in her voice.

"Which park did they go to?" Draco asked casually, reaching for a sandwich.

Andromeda replied, "I think it was the same Muggle park Harry took him to last week, wasn't it, Cissy?"

"Teddy refused to have it any other way," Narcissa answered, smiling. "He loves swings, whatever they are. And, how did he say it? 'The swings there are the bestest.'"

"Draco, where are you going?" Narcissa asked when Draco rose suddenly to his feet.

"I just remembered," Draco replied quickly, "I have a meeting in Hogsmeade. I can't believe I nearly forgot about it."

"You've been working much too hard," Narcissa complained to her son. "And you've been looking much too tired lately."

"I've had a lot on my mind and I haven't slept well for the past few nights," Draco admitted. He bent down to give Narcissa a kiss on the cheek, "But don't worry, Mother. I'm sure I'll be able to sleep better soon."

xxxxxxx

Harry pushed Teddy on his favorite swing for nearly an hour before he was able to talk the boy into playing on something else. He sensed Hermione becoming less skeptical about the possibility of Ginny being alive and he wanted to talk more at length about it with her, but not in front of Teddy.

Teddy found two young Muggle boys close to his age to play with in a sandbox, whose mothers were sitting on a bench in the shade nearby, completely engaged in their own conversation. Of this, Harry was thankful, for it ensured their curiosity was not peaked by Teddy's complete lack of knowledge of airplanes, which the other boys were delighting in explaining at length, and it gave him the opportunity to talk privately with Hermione.

"I don't think we should tell Ron anything yet," Hermione was saying quietly.

"We can't keep something like this from him," Harry replied, shaking his head. "And I plan to tell my team because I want to make sure we take into consideration that Ginny's alive while we continue our investigation. Besides, even if we could keep it from him, you know after we find her and Ron learns that we didn't tell him, he won't be very happy with us."

"You mean _if_," Hermione corrected. "If we find her. You're starting to talk like we know it's a reality but we don't. No matter how much I want it to be true, I'm not going to allow myself to consider the possibility Ginny is alive without more evidence. And frankly, Harry, I don't think Ron will be ready either. You haven't seen him in the middle of the night; it breaks my heart! Some nights he's so filled with grief and other nights he becomes really angry. He blames himself for not stopping them and not being able to save Ginny."

"Ron shouldn't blame himself," Harry stated flatly. "If anyone's to blame, it's me! I was out there with her and I'm supposedly a trained Auror! If I had acted faster, or been more on guard I, could have—"

"Stop it, Harry!" Hermione interrupted. "No one is at fault for what happened to Ginny except the Death Eaters! We were outnumbered! And none of us had any idea they would be able to attack Bill and Fleur's cottage."

Harry could not bring himself to agree with Hermione's logic. He could still hear the Golden Masked Death Eater taunting him in his recurring nightmares; _"It's your fault. You couldn't save her."_

Deciding it was useless to argue the point further with Hermione, Harry suddenly realized that Teddy was no longer playing in the sandbox and that the other two boys and their mothers were gone.

Alarmed, Harry stood up quickly, chastising himself for not paying closer attention to where the boy had gone. But then he was relieved to see Teddy a short distance away running back toward them with a flat, red object in his hands.

"Uncle Hawey! Auntie Hermie! Look!" Teddy called excitedly. "He gave me a pwesent!"

Teddy handed the object to Harry who looked carefully around the park; there were several other children and parents playing throughout the park, but he could see no one in the vicinity of the direction from which Teddy had come.

"Who gave it to you?" Harry asked frowning as he examined the plastic toy.

"Johnny's fwiend," Teddy answered. "He had a bunch and I asked for a wed one. He said it can fly, but I thought Muggles can't do magic, so how can it fly? Do you think some Muggles know magic?"

"No, Teddy," Harry chuckled, "there aren't any Muggles who can do magic. This is a Frisbee, and if you throw it right, it will fly through the air."

"A Fwisbee?" Teddy asked, taking several cautious steps backward. "Where are its teeth?"

"Don't worry," Hermione said smiling at the boy's confusion, "this isn't a Fanged Frisbee like the ones in Uncle George's shop. It won't hurt you if you play with it."

"Then it doesn't bite?" Teddy asked, continuing to eye the round disk doubtfully.

"No, this kind doesn't bite," Hermione answered, backing up from where Harry and Teddy were standing. "Go ahead, Harry, show Teddy how to throw it to me."

"Sure," Harry replied and bent down to show Teddy how to hold the Frisbee. "Hold it on the side like this, bring in into your chest a little and then flick your wrist as you bring your arm out and let go like this."

Teddy watched in awe as the Frisbee left Harry's hand but then he frowned slightly when it flew several feet over Hermione's reach.

"I thought it was sposed to go to Auntie Hermie," Teddy commented.

"Well, I was aiming for Auntie Hermione, but it's been quite a few years since I've thrown one of these things," Harry answered. "My cousin had a couple of Frisbees, but I never got to play with them much."

"Look out!" Hermione called, drawing their attention as the Frisbee flew perfectly straight back towards Harry's waist and he caught it easily.

"Auntie Hermie thwows it better than you," Teddy observed with his hands on his hips.

Harry lowered his voice, "Auntie Hermie has always been a terrible showoff."

"I heard that!" Hermione called good-naturedly as she attempted to catch Harry's second throw, which was only slightly closer to her this time.

"Hey!" Harry called when Teddy started trotting toward Hermione. "Where are you going?"

Teddy responded, "I want Auntie Hermie to show me how to make it fly."

"Thanks a lot!" Harry called, crossing his arms and putting on an exaggerated, grumpy-looking frown.

"Awe, don't be mad Uncle Hawey," Teddy giggled at the face Harry was pulling. "I still want you to teach me how to wide a bwoom 'cause Auntie Hermie can't wide good."

"I didn't realize my godson was so fickle," Harry grumbled.

"He's not fickle, he's just honest," Hermione laughed, having retrieved the Frisbee, and she knelt beside Teddy to show him how to hold and throw the toy.

Even with Hermione's assistance, Teddy's first throw veered far enough to Harry's left so that he missed catching it by a few inches.

"Hmmm," Hermione commented, winking at Teddy, "hard to believe your godfather was the star Seeker for the Gryffindor House Quidditch team, isn't' it?"

"And I heard that!" Harry retorted, throwing the Frisbee back to them with more accuracy this time. "It's not as easy to catch something when you aren't on a broom, you know. But I think I'm getting better at this. See!"

They threw the Frisbee back and forth, with Hermione continuing to give Teddy pointers on how to make the disk fly straighter, until Harry threw it and a gust of wind sent it sailing into a nearby copse of trees.

"Getting better, huh?" Hermione commented, quirking an eyebrow at Harry and giving him a good-natured smirk.

"Awe, come on!" Harry said defensively. "That wasn't my fault! The wind blew it over there."

"Yeah, sure," Hermione answered rolling her eyes, and she took Teddy's hand. "Come on, Teddy, let's go look for it. But we'll make Uncle Harry go get the next one."

It was turning out to be a very warm fall day, so Harry decided to go back to sit on the bench in the shade near the sandbox while he waited for Hermione and Teddy to return with the Frisbee. He checked his watch and was surprised to see that it was well past one o'clock. Hermione had been right; bringing Teddy to the park seemed to make the time go faster, but as he sat by himself, his thoughts quickly turned back to Martha Pondergrass.

The woman had been in possession of Ginny's ring; she had clearly told him that he had to 'rescue her.' She could only have been talking about Ginny because Ginny _was_ alive!

But _where_ was she?

Harry ran his hand through his hair, feeling his frustration start to build again. He wanted to talk to Stacie himself; he doubted that she was the guilty party, but someone must have leaked the details of his meeting with Martha Pondergrass. It would most likely turn out to be someone who was in the room outside Director Candlehard's office when Stacie told him about the owl. Although he would have his team interrogate everyone, Harry figured Stacie would probably be able to give them names of likely people they should interview first.

Since he was not allowed back in the office for two more days, Harry decided he would have to ask Ron to talk to Stacie for him tomorrow morning. He could also send word to his team through Ron to begin the interviews of the people who sat outside Candlehard's office if the director had not already started the process.

With at least that brief plan of action decided, Harry checked his watch again and then looked toward the trees where Hermione and Teddy had gone in search of the Frisbee. Apparently they were having a hard time finding it, since he still did not see them coming back.

Sighing heavily, Harry got up and walked toward the trees. There were no Muggles around, so he assumed Hermione would have used a simple Summoning Charm to locate the toy by now.

"Hermione?" Harry stepped past the first few trees, noticing that the undergrowth was denser than he had thought. He stood for a moment waiting, but Hermione didn't answer.

"Oi! Hermione, Teddy!" he called, peering past the brush. "Now's not the time for hide and seek. It's getting late and Gram is probably holding lunch for us."

Stepping farther into the trees, Harry felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end; there had to be a reason Hermione and Teddy had not come back, and it probably was not a good one. With his senses on high alert and his heart beating faster, Harry pulled out his wand and carefully made his way through the trees and bushes. Several times, he walked forward a few paces as quietly as he could and then stopped to listen for any sound that would indicate which direction Hermione and Teddy had gone.

Finally, Harry called, "Hermione, where are you?"

"HARRY! Go back! It's—" the sound of Hermione's terrified voice was cut short and Harry charged in the direction from which he thought it came.

Harry's mind was racing as adrenaline pumped through his veins. Who could Hermione and Teddy have run into? He had purposely not taken Teddy to any of the parks they visited before Dingo was killed and no one but Andromeda and Narcissa knew where they had gone for the morning. There was no way that anyone, including Golden Mask or the Death Eaters could know—

Then he was brought up short by the scene in a small clearing ahead of him; Teddy was clinging desperately to Hermione, with his face buried against her stomach and Hermione was protectively holding onto the small boy just as fiercely. They were flanked by several masked Death Eaters, one whose hand was placed firmly over Hermione's mouth and two others on either side of them with their wands trained directly on the frightened pair.

Harry raised his wand but before his curse could pass from his lips, he felt two wand tips drill into his back.

"Drop it, Potter!" came a barked order from behind him.

Harry froze as his mind raced for a way to get Hermione and Teddy away safely.

One of the Death Eaters in front of him grabbed Teddy by the collar of his shirt to try to yank the boy away from Hermione.

Teddy squealed in terror and gripped Hermione even tighter as the Death Eater yelled, "Drop your wand, Potter or we'll get rid of the kid first."

Seeing no other choice, Harry did as he was told and he let his wand fall to the ground.

"Hands in the air!" one of the men behind him commanded as the other bent down to retrieve Harry's wand.

"Move!"

Harry was unceremoniously shoved forward toward Hermione and Teddy, who was now sobbing uncontrollably.

"Keep quiet, kid!" the Death Eater behind Hermione demanded, removing his hand from her mouth to take hold of her arm.

When Teddy only started to cry harder, the man yelled, "You better shut him up or I will!"

"What do you expect?" Hermione snapped in a show of bravado and yanked her arm out of his grasp. "He's frightened!"

She knelt down and wrapped her arms around the boy in an attempt to comfort him. Teddy only quieted slightly and Harry lowered his arms, taking a step toward his friend and godson.

"It'll be okay, Teddy," Harry said, hoping he sounded confident, at least to the boy.

"Stay where you are, Potter," a Death Eater behind him said.

Harry turned a glare on him, "You've got me now. I'll do whatever you want, so let them go!"

The man laughed, "Sorry, but he wants us to bring you and the kid back with us. The Mudblood'll be an added bonus for him."

Harry turned back to Hermione and Teddy, "I know you're scared, Teddy, but I won't let them hurt you. I'll get you out of here."

"What's that?" one of the Death Eaters said smirking. "It's not very nice of you, lying to the kid like that."

But Teddy had stopped crying and, still clinging to Hermione, he peeked up at his godfather.

Harry gave the boy a furtive wink, and then he locked eyes with Hermione.

"What makes you think I'm lying to him?" Harry asked casually, holding Hermione's gaze for a moment before glancing meaningfully down toward the pocket of his jeans. Looking quickly back at her, he prayed that she had caught on to his plan. A slight widening of her eyes acknowledged to him that she had.

The Death Eaters broke into chortles of laughter and one of them replied, "We're armed, you're not, and you're out numbered. That kinda makes me think you be lyin' to 'im."

"Enough!" Snapped the Death Eater behind Harry. "Let's get them back. _He's_ anxious to greet Potter himself."

The two Death Eaters closest to Harry converged on him and then, at the same time, Harry knocked hard against the Death Eater on his left while he swiped the feet out from under the Death Eater on his right with his leg as he pulled the Golden Snitch out of his jeans pocket. He had taken all of the Death Eaters completely by surprise, but Harry was more off balance after taking out the two Death Eaters beside him than he had planned on. In a fraction of a second, he realized that there was no way he was going to be able to hold onto the Portkey and get close enough to Hermione and Teddy so he could take them with him using the Portkey.

Harry rubbed his thumb along one of the wings of the Snitch to activate the Portkey and just as it started to glow blue, he threw it at Hermione.

"Gab it!" he yelled rolling on the ground barely in time to get out of the way of a curse that one of the Death Eaters next to Hermione and Teddy fired at him.

"Harry, no!" Hermione screamed as the glowing Snitch slipped through her fingers and landed on the ground just inches from her hand. She knew they had to get Teddy safely away and as the blue light surrounding the Snitch intensified, she quickly snatched it up. She held it against the boy's arm casting a terrified look back at Harry. By throwing the activated Portkey over to them, she realized he was not going to be able to get to it in time and touch it before it whisked Teddy and her away.

Bright lights flashed all around them and the last thing Hermione saw as she felt the pull of the Portkey behind her navel, were streams of multicolored curses simultaneously striking Harry's body.

Joddy stood over Harry's inert form, which was lying face down, and when he turned around and saw that Hermione and Teddy were no longer in the clearing, he demanded, "Where are they?"

Baddock, Goyle and the other two Death Eaters backed away from him warily.

"Potter threw something at them," Baddock answered bravely. "It was glowing, so it must have been a Portkey."

"_What!"_ he shouted at them. "Why didn't you stop them?"

They each took several more steps backward.

"There wasn't anything we could do about it," Baddock replied defensively. "It happened too fast."

"_Damn!"_ Joddy bellowed and kicked Harry hard in the ribs, rolling him onto his back.

Joddy took a deep, calming breath as he looked down angrily at their unconscious prisoner. "Alright, there's nothing we can do about it now, and at least we've got Potter. Take him to Malfoy Manor. And for your own sakes, make sure you secure him so he can't escape."


	17. In the Garden

**Chapter 17: In the Garden **

Hermione and Teddy landed hard, sprawling on the ground several yards away from Andromeda's cottage. Both were trembling badly, and the boy continued to whimper, refusing to release Hermione from the death-grip he had on her.

"Teddy, are you hurt?" Hermione asked shakily as she tried to pry his hands loose, which she was finding a very difficult thing to do.

Hermione pulled Teddy to his feet and quickly looked him over from head to toe, checking for any sign that he had been hit by one of the Death Eaters' flying curses.

"Teddy, we're safe now," Hermione consoled, after finding no visible marks on the boy. Trying to sound calm, she continued, "The Portkey brought us to Gram's cottage, see? Come on, let's find Gram."

She desperately wanted to get the child inside with Andromeda so that she could contact the Ministry; time was of the essence if they were going help Harry.

Teddy carefully turned his head to take a cautious peek at his surroundings. When he realized that Hermione was telling him the truth about their destination, he took one large breath and started crying so loudly that both Andromeda and Narcissa came running outside.

"Teddy!" Andromeda cried, rushing toward them. "What happened?" Teddy released Hermione and grabbed onto his grandmother, crying even harder.

"B-bad m-men!" Teddy stammered in-between sobs.

"Bad men?" Andromeda queried. Her eyes searched the yard and she asked with growing alarm, "Where's Harry?"

"There were Death Eaters at the park!" Hermione replied as tears started to well up in her eyes. "They grabbed Teddy and me, but then Harry showed up. H-he had a Portkey. He threw it to us but before it activated. I saw— oh God! He was hit by so many curses! We have to notify the Ministry! They have to send people to help him!"

Andromeda and Narcissa hurried Hermione and Teddy into the cottage and Andromeda immediately carried her distraught grandson upstairs as Hermione stumbled to the fireplace. She was still trembling so badly that she nearly fell and she placed her hand on the mantle to steady herself.

"Sit down, Hermione," Narcissa commanded quickly. "You've had a terrible shock. I'll Floo to the Ministry and let them know what's happened."

"But I—" Hermione started to protest, but Narcissa cut her off.

"If you fall or pass out, you won't do anyone any good. Harry told us which Muggle park he was taking Teddy to so I can tell them at the Ministry where to send help."

Before Hermione could protest any further, Narcissa grabbed a handful of Floo Powder and was gone in a burst of green flames. Hermione collapsed on the nearest couch and, now having nothing to do but wait, she covered her face with her hands as uncontrollable sobs wracked her body. She barely noticed when Andromeda finally appeared at her side.

"Where's Cissy?" Andromeda asked quickly with a noticeable tremor in her voice.

"S-she went to the Ministry to t-tell them what h-happened," Hermione replied. Then, regaining some of her composure, and wiping tears from her eyes she stood up quickly. "Maybe I should go back to the park to see if I can help Harry."

Andromeda placed a restraining hand on her arm, "You can't go by yourself, dear, and I can't leave Teddy here alone to come with you."

"But—"

"How many Death Eaters did you say there were?" Andromeda asked.

"Five… no six," Hermione replied, starting to sound deflated.

"Then we would be highly outnumbered and therefore, of very little aid to him, no doubt," Andromeda stated matter-of-factly. She put a comforting arm around the younger girl and continued, "I want nothing more than help Harry, too, but we are going to have to leave it to the Ministry."

Unable to argue Andromeda's logic, Hermione relented and asked, "How's Teddy? Harry drew their fire away from us, so I don't think he was hit, was he?"

"No," Andromeda assured. "But he is very frightened as you can imagine. I gave him a teaspoon of children's dreamless sleep potion. His Healer gave it to me when he was having nightmares before. Right now, I think it's best that he get a few hours of sleep."

Hermione looked at Andromeda regretfully, "It took him so long to get over the attack from several months ago. I'm sorry this had to happen to him, but they snuck up on us and I couldn't find a way to get Teddy out of there."

"Hermione, this was not your fault," Andromeda said with a note of anger in her voice.

"And it wasn't Harry's, either!" Hermione insisted, misreading the target of the older woman's anger. "You must know that Harry would never have taken Teddy to that park if he thought there was a chance the Death Eaters would find out. They threatened to hurt Teddy if Harry didn't drop his wand and do what they said. They were going to take all of us to the golden masked Death Eater. Harry made sure we got away, so you can't be angry with him! "

"I'm not angry with, Harry, dear," Andromeda assured her as she played absentmindedly with the wedding ring she still wore. "But I am angry that it still is not over. I had hoped and prayed so hard after Harry defeated the Dark Lord that we were done with their lot. I lost my husband and my daughter to them. Today I came close to losing my grandson and I fear how another traumatizing attack is going affect that poor child. And of course I'm especially worried about Harry and what their plans are for him. Whoever the man hiding behind the gold mask is, he seems to want to hurt Harry very badly if he keeps going after the people he cares about."

"But I can't imagine why," Hermione replied. "What does he think Harry's done that's filled him with so much hate?"

Before Andromeda could reply, green flames burst from the fireplace and Ron stepped quickly into the room, followed closely by Alicia and then Mrs. Malfoy.

"Hermione!" Concern and worry were written on Ron's pale face as he rushed across the room to his wife. "Are you alright? Did they hurt you?"

"Oh, Ron!" Ron gathered his trembling wife into his arms. "I'm okay but they've got Harry! They hit him with so many curses! We have to help him!"

"We're going to do everything we possibly can," Alicia assured as Hermione looked up worriedly at Ron.

"Shouldn't you both go to the park?" Hermione asked, looking at Alicia and then back to Ron.

"I had to be sure you're ok," Ron answered. "Seamus, Ben and Kevin have gone there already, along with several other Auror teams."

"But we need you to tell us exactly what happened," Alicia added.

"Everything happened so fast," Hermione answered, taking a deep, steadying breath. "The three of us were playing with a Frisbee and it went into the trees. I took Teddy to go look for it and before we knew what was happening, we were surrounded by Death Eaters. They were all wearing masks."

"Was Golden Mask there?" Ron asked.

"No," Hermione replied. "One of them said something like '_he'_ wants to greet Harry, so I can only assume they meant to take us to Golden Mask."

"Was there anything familiar about any of them?" Alicia asked, "Like maybe one of their voices, or something?"

"No, none of them sounded like anyone I know," Hermione answered. "They told me to keep Teddy quiet and that they'd hurt him if I didn't. Then they just held us there and waited for Harry to come looking for us."

Hermione then showed Ron the Snitch and explained how Harry had used it to ensure that she and Teddy were whisked away to safety.

"Typical Harry," Ron commented, shaking his head.

"But why did you go to a public park?" Alicia asked, frowning. "We know Dingo was following Harry before he was killed. And some of the pictures that Dingo took were of Teddy, so I'd assume there was a good chance that they'd know Harry might take Teddy the park."

"Someone had pictures of Teddy?" Andromeda asked, turning pale.

"I'm sorry, I probably shouldn't have mentioned it," Alicia said apologetically.

"No, that's alright," Andromeda answered, rubbing her temples as if she had a headache. "I'd rather know about it… I think."

"He had pictures of a lot of the people Harry was close to," Ron answered giving Hermione a meaningful look. Her mouth formed a surprised oh, her eyes wide.

"But then why would Harry take the chance of going back there, again?" Alicia asked.

"Today was only the second time they went to that particular park," Andromeda replied in Harry's defense. "Last week was the first. And now that you mention it, I remember Harry saying last week that he wanted to take Teddy to a different park than the one they usually went to."

"But there are a lot of Muggle parks," Hermione mused. "I have a hard time believing the Death Eaters have recruited enough people to post somebody at every one of them just waiting for Harry and Teddy to show up; or that they happened to pick the right park by sheer coincidence."

"Well, obviously they found out exactly where they were going!" Andromeda stated.

"Yes," Alicia agreed, "but how?"

"Harry wanted to keep Teddy safe," Ron insisted. "So it's not like he'd go around telling a bunch of people where they were going, is it?"

"I'm sure he didn't," Alicia said glancing purposely at Narcissa. "So I would certainly like know how the Death Eaters did find out then."

Andromeda gave Alicia a hard look and said haughtily, "As far as I know, only Cissy and I were aware of their destination. What exactly are you trying to imply, young woman?"

Hermione and Ron exchanged glances; Harry kept insisting he suspected Draco was involved with the Death Eaters, but he had never mentioned having suspicions about Narcissa Malfoy. They had both been under the impression Harry believed she truly repented her role and associations during the war. Was it possible Harry had been wrong?

"I can assure you," Narcissa said, glaring coldly back at Alicia, "I would never do anything that would result in harm coming to Teddy, or to Mr. Potter."

"Alicia! Ron!" The appearance of Seamus's head in the fireplace broke the frosty silence that had suddenly descended in the room.

"Did you find him?" Ron asked anxiously, walking quickly to the fireplace.

"They were gone by the time we arrived," Seamus replied. "We found traces of magic, along with footprints, but no sign of Harry. I came back to the office to Floo you and fill you in since you said you wanted to know what we found one way or the other. But Ben and Kevin and the others are still there. They're hoping to find something that might provide us with a clue about who they were or where they may have taken Harry. I'm going to head back there myself."

"Thanks, Seamus," Ron said as Seamus's head disappeared.

"Ron, why don't you take Hermione home," Alicia said. "I'll go and help them search, too."

"No, Ron, I'm fine, really," Hermione protested. "You should go with Alicia."

"I'd prefer to see that you get home safe," Ron replied stubbornly. "You go ahead, Alicia. I'll join you at the park in a bit."

"Alright," Alicia agreed, looking sympathetically at Hermione. "You take it easy, ok? We'll find Harry."

"Thanks," Hermione replied quietly. "I'm holding you to that."

Alicia left but before Ron could follow with Hermione, a quiet sound coming from the direction of the staircase caught their attention and they all turned to see Teddy standing on the bottom step looking frightened.

"Teddy!" Andromeda exclaimed in surprise. "You should still be asleep after taking the potion I gave you."

"I spit it out when you didn't see," Teddy answered, wrinkling his nose. "It tastes yucky."

"Come here, Teddy," Andromeda replied, opening her arms to the boy.

Teddy rushed over, looking at her with big worried eyes, "Did the bad men take Uncle Hawey away, too?"

"I'm afraid it looks like they did, sweetheart," Andromeda said sadly as she hugged him close.

"Oh," the boy replied quietly. But then he turned in his aunt's embrace and sounding hopeful he said, "I hope they took him to see Aunt Ginny."

"Teddy! That's not a nice thing to say!" Andromeda admonished the child. "We don't want something bad to happen to Harry, do we?"

"No," Teddy replied looking sad again. "But Uncle Hawey told me he misses Aunt Ginny. I thought if the bad men take Uncle Hawey to the same place, he'll see Aunt Ginny and bwing her back."

"Teddy… " Andromeda started hesitantly. "I thought you understood. Aunt Ginny can't come back—"

"Wait, Andromeda," Hermione interrupted and knelt down anxiously in front of Teddy so that she was at eye level with him. "Teddy, the men we saw in the park today… do you remember a while back when they showed up at Uncle Bill's cottage?"

Teddy's eyes grew fearful and Andromeda intervened, calmly, but sternly, "Hermione, I do not think this is an appropriate—"

"Please, Andromeda, I think this could be important," Hermione said. Before Andromeda could object further, Hermione said to Teddy, "I know the men at the park today scared you, Teddy, didn't they?" When the boy nodded, she continued, "They scared me, too, but you know you are very safe here with Gram and that no one can hurt you here, right?"

Again the boy nodded, but only slightly.

"Now," Hermione said with a comforting smile, "I need to ask you a question about what happened at Uncle Bill's. It's very important so I need you to be brave for me, okay?"

"Okay," Teddy agreed quietly.

"Can you think back to when the bad men showed up at Uncle Bill's cottage for me?"

"Hermione…" Andromeda interjected warningly, but Hermione ignored her.

"Did you see what happened to Aunt Ginny, Teddy?"

"That's quite enough!" Andromeda said sharply, taking the boy's hand. "Come on, Teddy. I think it's time for you to go back to bed."

"I have to agree with Andromeda," Ron said in a strained voice. "You shouldn't be bringing that up, especially not after what happened today."

But Hermione didn't seem to hear either of them as she watched Teddy expectantly and urged, "Teddy, please. You have to tell me. Tell me what you saw."

"I think my sister said that will be enough!" Narcissa admonished as Andromeda tugged more insistently on Teddy's hand.

"The bad man hit Aunt Ginny with a curse and she fell, but one them catched her," Teddy replied and everyone but Hermione gaped at him. Hermione knelt back down in front of him, taking his hands into hers.

"You saw someone catch Aunt Ginny?" Hermione asked trying to keep her excitement in check. "You didn't see her fall into the water?"

"Uh-uh," Teddy replied in the negative. "A bad man catched her and flew away with her."

"Are… are you sure, Teddy?" Andromeda asked, clearly in shock by her grandson's revelation. "Are you sure you saw someone catch Ginny?"

"Uh-huh," Teddy replied. "Do you think the bad men took Uncle Hawey to see her? I bet Aunt Ginny misses Uncle Hawey, too."

"I don't know, sweatheart," Hermione replied shakily and pulled him into her arms to give him a big hug. "But thank you. You're a very brave boy."

"But why didn't you tell us this before?" Andromeda asked.

"'No one asked," Teddy replied, now looking worriedly up at his grandmother. "Are you mad, Gram?"

"Of course not, dear," Andromeda assured. "But I do think it's time for you get some rest." She gathered Teddy into her arms to take him up to his room. "But this time, I'm going to make sure you really take your potion."

"Hermione…" Ron started to say tentatively once Teddy was out of earshot. "Teddy saw someone catch Ginny that night?" And then he looked at her with shock-filled eyes, "So could that mean..."

Hermione gathered Ron's hands into hers, "I think so, Ron. Ginny may still be alive."

"But..." Ron seemed at a loss for words for a few moments until he suddenly looked down at his wife angrily, "How did you know what Teddy saw that night? I can't believe you thought my sister could be alive and you didn't say something to me! And you didn't say anything to Harry?"

"I only just found out it might be possible this morning!" Hermione replied.

"But Teddy has suffered so many dreams about that night," Narcissa said. "How do we know he didn't only dream about someone catching Ginny and he's confusing it with what really happened?"

"This morning Harry told me he thought Ginny might be alive," Hermione replied. "And the way Teddy asked whether the bad men took Harry away, too, I thought, well, maybe there might be something to Harry's theory after all."

"But after all this time, what made Harry think Ginny could be alive?" Andromeda asked as she came down the stairs. And then Hermione explained what Harry had told her about his brief encounter with Martha before she died and his interpretation of the nurse's words.

"I can see how Harry might think the woman meant that he had to rescue Ginny," Andromeda admitted.

"But if she is alive, why haven't we heard from her?" Ron asked, clearly not ready to accept Harry's theory. "Why hasn't Ginny come home or contacted us?"

"If it's true that the Death Eaters took her," Hermione explained, "they certainly wouldn't let her contact anyone."

"I don't know…" Ron said reluctantly.

"I know you don't want to get your hopes up, Ron," Hermione said, looking at her husband sympathetically. "Neither do I. But I think after what Teddy told us, we need to consider the possibility."

"But we would have heard something before now," Ron insisted. "Either my family or Harry would have received a ransom note or… or something from them, wouldn't we? And let's say it is true. We have no idea where she may be or where the Death Eaters have taken Harry. Or how they knew Harry was going to be at the park with Teddy today."

"I know… I can't even begin to guess where they could be," Hermione admitted. "But Harry would not have taken Teddy anywhere if he thought the Death Eaters would find out."

"Come on and let me take you home," Ron said. "I want to get to that park and have a look around there myself.

"It would truly be wonderful if Ginny is alive after all," Narcissa said to her sister after Ron and Hermione had gone. "And I pray they find Harry before any harm comes to him. But I find myself agreeing with Hermione Weasley; I do not think Harry would take Teddy someplace he thought the child could be in danger."

"Although, he was carrying an emergency Portkey," Andromeda replied. "So it seems to me he was concerned that something could happen."

"Perhaps he was only being cautious," Narcissa stated. "Can you blame him, given what happened to his fiancée and to Hermione because of these new Death Eaters? We should be thankful for his caution, sister. He saved Teddy's life today, quite possibly at the expense of his own."

"You're right, of course, Cissy," Andromeda sighed heavily. "But when I think about how we could have lost Teddy today… Now we learn that Ginny could actually be alive and they also have Harry…"

"I know, sister," Narcissa replied sympathetically. "Why don't you go check on Teddy? I just remembered that I have an errand to run before dinner. I won't be long."

With a heavy heart, Narcissa fetched her traveling cloak. No one had mentioned it, but there was one other person who knew where Harry and Hermione had gone with Teddy. She prayed she was wrong, but she knew Draco still harbored a great amount of hatred toward Harry. She needed to find out one way or the other whether her son was indeed involved in the terrible events that had occurred earlier in the day.

xxxxxx

Understandably, Ginny had not taken the news regarding Martha Pondergrass's murder at all well, and Draco truly did regret being the bearer of the news. But he saw no reason to keep it from her; he even decided there was no harm in showing her the short article in the _Daily Prophet_. The paper did not contain very much information other than to say that the murder had occurred the previous afternoon, there were currently no suspects in custody and that Harry Potter was one of the Aurors involved in the grisly discovery of the victim, who died with him beside her.

The fact that Potter was the Auror who found her seemed too coincidental in Draco's opinion, and it solidified in his mind that Mrs. Pondergrass had decided to contact Harry to tell him about Ginny. Although, the question of who murdered the woman still remained. If she planned to talk, did Draco's associates somehow find out about it and stop her?

And, was the nurse able to tell Potter anything before she died? If she told him Ginny was alive and where she was, then surely he would have ordered every Auror in the Ministry to be on the lookout for Draco Malfoy and to arrest him on the spot. Then again, Draco reasoned, perhaps he had gotten lucky and Mrs. Pondergrass died before telling Potter anything. After all, he had been seen in public in Hogsmeade after the murder was discovered and no one had tried to arrest him.

Draco sat back in the chair in his study and rubbed his tired eyes. But _who_ murdered the woman?

"Good afternoon, Draco."

Draco started visibly at the sound of Narcissa's voice.

"Mother!" Draco exclaimed, jumping up to greet her quickly. "What are you doing here?"

He glanced nervously at the study door. If Ginny did not remain in her room long enough for him to send his mother on her way, there was going to be hell to pay.

"Can't a mother visit her son in their home if she so chooses?" Narcissa countered with a smile that did not reach her eyes.

"Of course, you can," Draco recovered, smiling back. "You surprised me, is all. It's been so long since you were home. Can I offer you refreshment of some kind?"

"No, thank you," Narcissa replied taking the seat in front of his desk that he offered. "I won't be staying long. As I've told you, I prefer not to be in the Manor as long as your father is not here. I honestly do enjoy staying with Andromeda."

"I'm happy for you," Draco said dryly. "To what do I owe the honor of your visit, then?"

"I have some distressing news, I'm afraid," Narcissa replied.

"Oh? And what is that?" Draco asked, wondering what sort of catastrophe might befall him now.

"Not that I expect you to be overly concerned by the situation, but apparently Harry, Teddy and Hermione Weasley were attacked by Death Eaters while they were at a Muggle park today. Teddy and Hermione were unharmed, but Harry is missing."

Narcissa decided not to mention anything about the possibility that Ginny Weasley was alive, but she carefully watched Draco's reaction to the news about Harry.

"Potter's missing?" Draco asked with raised eyebrows, seemingly genuinely surprised by what she told him.

"They assume the Death Eaters have him," Narcissa replied.

Draco frowned and said more to himself than to his mother, "How did they know Potter took the kid there today?"

"I was hoping you could tell me," Narcissa answered somewhat coolly.

Draco turned on her, "What makes you think I'd know?"

Narcissa went to her son and placed a pleading hand on his arm, "Draco, the only people who knew which park Harry took Teddy to were Andromeda, me and you. If you know something about what happened, please tell me before it's too late for Harry."

"Your concern for Potter is touching," Draco snarled, yanking his arm away from her.

"Where did you go this afternoon, Draco?" Narcissa asked sternly. "You left very quickly after you learned that Harry had taken Teddy to the park."

"I told you!" Draco snapped. "I had a meeting in Hogsmeade that I had forgotten about and so I was late for it. I'm sorry to have to disappoint you, Mother, but I did not tell anyone about their plans for today."

Narcissa continued to watch him closely. Draco had learned to lie very convincingly to his father, but he had never been completely successful at lying to her; she found that she believed her son was telling her the truth when he claimed he told no one where Harry had gone earlier in the day.

"I'm very sorry, darling. Forgive me," she said, her face softening. "It's just that I know how you still feel about Harry, and I thought perhaps you may have…"

"Well, I didn't," Draco said stiffly. "Now, is there anything else that you wanted?"

"No, Draco," Narcissa replied. "But I am very much relieved. I should have realized that you know better than to involve yourself with Death Eaters again."

Unable to look into his mother's face, Draco turned away from her as he said, "Of course I wouldn't."

"Forgive me, Draco?" Narcissa asked pleadingly.

"You're forgiven, Mother," Draco replied, giving her a brief smile and then a peck on the cheek. "Now you should run along. I'll see you out."

"That's not necessary, son," she replied. "I can see myself out."

After she had gone, Draco called for his old servant, Milholm, to bring him a pain relief potion; he was starting to develop a splitting headache.

xxxxx

Somewhere in the hazy fog that was slowly becoming Harry's conscious mind, he heard several men speaking in low voices. As the fog lifted, he became aware of jabbing pain along the right side of his ribs each time he took a breath as well as a growing ache across his shoulders that reached along both of his arms.

"You sure he's secured?" Harry heard a gruff voice, sounding like it came from a short distance away.

"Just checked 'im again myself," came the reply. "He's still out cold. He won't be going anywhere even when he does wake up. I told Goyle to keep a close eye on 'im, though. Is _he_ coming then?"

"I've sent word to him," the gruff voice acknowledged. "He should be here soon. So should the others."

"Do you, er, know what he's plannin' to do with Potter?" the other asked tentatively.

"Make him pay, of course," a third voice answered ominously.

"Yeah, but don't forget he promised some of us the chance—"

"And he'll keep his promise," the gruff voice snapped, cutting him off. "Which I believe he already assured you on several occasions. Of course you can always take the chance of pissing him off and ask him again when he gets here."

The comment produced several chortles from others present.

"No, I don't 'spose I that's necessary…" was the mumbled reply.

Harry was having a hard time making sense out of what he was hearing and it didn't help that his thoughts felt like they were swimming through a thick vat of syrup. Who were the men he heard talking and why did his entire body feel like he had been trampled by a herd of stampeding hippogriffs? Slowly, he cracked his eyes open, but all he could see was a wooden floor and what he assumed were his own feet, each secured by a rope tied to metal rings attached to the floor. He tried moving only to become acutely aware that both of his wrists were bound securely above his head.

Harry frowned, confused by his current predicament, until everything came back to him suddenly. He and Hermione had taken Teddy to the Muggle park, and the Death Eaters ambushed them. He mentally chastised himself for not being more careful; he should have followed his initial instincts last week and firmly refused Teddy's plea to go to a park. It was likely his captors had charmed the Frisbee to fly into the trees to lure them into the secluded spot. But how had they known exactly which park they went to?

The last thing Harry remembered was feeling tremendous relief when Hermione scooped up the Snitch and held it against Teddy's arm. Then everything went black; he didn't actually see the Portkey transport them away and he hoped the Death Eaters had not been able to react fast enough to stop their escape.

Harry picked his head up to look around, which he quickly discovered was a mistake when the entire room immediately seemed to spin around him. Fighting back a wave of nausea, he closed his eyes for several moments before carefully opening them again to take a slower and more cautious look around.

Ropes bound his wrists above his head and he was hanging more by his arms rather than standing with his weight on the floor. This did not allow for much movement, so his view was limited to a large paned window through which he could see part of a formal garden. A long, narrow workbench the height of the windowsill ran the length of the entire wall in front of him and he noticed someone left his wand lying on the bench. The presence of two old but grand black carriages off to his right informed him that he was being held inside an old carriage house and the inside walls that Harry could see were made of a rustic post and beam construction. The ropes that secured his wrists were tied around one of the large beams that ran overhead. Directly to his left was a doorway into another room, and it was from that direction that he heard the men's voices. There was no sign of Hermione or Teddy, which Harry prayed meant they had gotten away safely.

"Oi! Potter's awake!" The voice startled him and a masked figure wearing a black cloak stepped into view. Harry thought he recognized the owner of the voice to be Gregory Goyle.

Five other masked Death Eaters filed into the room, making a small semicircle in front of him.

"And so he is," said the Death Eater with the gruff voice, stopping to stand directly in front of him. Now that he was closer, Harry realized the man was magically disguising his voice. "I was starting to worry we might have hit you with too many curses."

"Who are you, people?" Harry demanded. "What do you want?"

"Have patience, Potter," the Death Eater replied. "You'll learn soon enough."

xxxxx

_They have him!_ The man thought triumphantly as he Vanished Joddy's note, which he had found waiting for him on his desk. Finally his plans were coming together.

He looked around the room noting that no one present should think it odd if he left a bit early and so he did. His anticipation grew as he made his way along the hallway toward the Ministry's Apparition point. The time had come for Potter to feel the soul-wrenching agony and helplessness of watching someone that he loved die, knowing that there was nothing he could do to stop it.

Of course, it will be different for Potter than it was for himself, because Potter will not live long with his suffering. He had considered allowing Potter to live with his pain, at least for a little while, but his patience was at its end. It was time to remove the mask; and it was time to take pleasure in seeing both surprise and recognition on Potter's face as his hands closed around the Auror's throat to slowly choke the life from him.

He would release Harry Potter from his pain and for that, the man almost envied him. Potter would not be forced to live with haunting memories as he had…

That spring day had been warm and rather than Apparate, he walked home to his flat so he could enjoy being out in the fresh air after so much rain. He specifically remembered being in a particularly good mood because it was the last time he felt happy and alive. Everything changed the moment he walked through the door of the flat.

The cloaks that normally hung by the entry way door were strewn all over the floor. He remembered bending down to pick them up when a strange noise coming from his living room caught his attention. He drew his wand and the scene that met him when he stepped into the living room was one that would haunt him forever. Lying on the floor, in a pool of her own blood was his mother and, horror-struck, he rushed to her side. Her shredded clothes were soaked with blood still oozing from hundreds of small incisions that covered her entire body, several of which ran deep across her throat. Panic nearly overwhelmed him when he realized the noise he heard when he came into his flat was that of his mother's gurgling breaths.

Desperate to save her, he frantically cast every healing spell he knew, trying to close her wounds. Nothing worked and he was unable to stop the bleeding. Her eyes pleaded with him to help her, but the Dark Magic they had used was too powerful and she died as he held her, helpless in his failure to save her.

He could not bear to leave her lying on the cold floor, and as he placed his mother's lifeless body on the couch, his uncle arrived. The older man cried out "My God no! They did it!" and he threw himself over his sister's mutilated body, overcome by his grief.

Slowly he was able to piece together his uncle's words. His uncle, who he already knew to be a Death Eater, had supposedly disappointed the Dark Lord too many times and, as punishment, his beloved younger sister was to pay for his failings with her life; he had been told that the next time he failed his master, they would kill his nephew, whom Voldemort knew he thought of as a son.

As his uncle's story unfolded, it became clear that none of his supposed failings had been his uncle's fault but the fault of one Harry Potter, the Ministry's hunted Undesirable Number One. The Dark Lord learned that Harry Potter had been present when his uncle was summoned one day to the home of Xenophilius Lovegood. Unfortunately, Potter and his friends escaped, resulting in both his uncle and his uncle's Death Eater colleague, Selwyn, receiving severe punishments for their failure to capture the fugitive.

Then, not long after, Potter broke into Gringotts Bank and stole a valuable object out of the Lestrange's vault, which the Dark Lord greatly prized. Potter and his friends accomplished this feat by disguising themselves, but his uncle had not realized that the Bellatrix Lestrange he met outside of the bank was an imposter. Unfortunately, someone reported back to Voldemort that they saw his uncle enter the bank with the Lestrange woman's replica. Therefore, not only had he failed to capture Potter for a second time, but he did not prevent Potter's treacherous thievery. As his uncle's punishment, and as a warning to all of the Dark Lord's followers, other Death Eaters were dispatched to torture his sister and leave her body in the home of his nephew. His uncle was then warned that should he fail his master again, the same fate would befall his young nephew.

Shaking off the horrific memories, the man arrived at the Apparition point and within moments was standing outside the protective wards of Malfoy Manor. As he approached the back door of the carriage house, he thought of his mother and of his uncle, Chatwin Travers, who helped raise him after his father died. His uncle was now serving a life sentence in Azkaban for his role as a Death Eater and his mother had died a horrible, gruesome death. It all was due to Harry Potter's treachery and his defeat of the Dark Lord; had it not been for Potter, he never would have lost the only two people in the world that he truly loved and cared about.

Nothing mattered now but ensuring Potter's punishment, which had to be brutal; he had to suffer physically, as payment for the torture and agony his mother endured those last moments of her life, and emotionally, not only to avenge his uncle, but as retribution for the memories they both would live with forever.

xxxxx

Ginny sat on the edge of the bed, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. The nap had served as a short respite from the sadness of Martha's death. While she had known the nurse for only a few short weeks, the woman had not only helped Ginny deal with her loneliness and the isolation of being cooped up in the manor, but she had served as Ginny's only friend and confidant.

The article Draco showed her in the paper did not provide very much information, other than to report Martha's murder in her own home and that robbery was not considered the motive for the crime. It also mentioned that Harry Potter had been present at the scene. Until reading the article, Ginny hadn't realized he was a Ministry Auror, which she found quite confusing. How could he be an Auror when he led the Death Eaters who attacked her? It seemed odd that the Ministry did not realize they had a dangerous Death Eater in their employ when Draco obviously knew what Harry was.

And why had Martha gone to her cottage, especially on a day she had told Ginny she wasn't feeling well? Of course it was not unusual for someone to be in their own home, but as far as Ginny knew, the nurse was living at Malfoy Manor since Draco hired her.

Why someone would murder such a kind and caring woman, Ginny could not fathom. Then her breath caught in her throat as it dawned on her; Harry Potter was at the murder scene and, according to Draco, he was responsible for the attack that resulted in her current predicament. Was it possible he somehow discovered Martha knew she was alive? Did he try to get information out of the woman and, in doing so, kill her? She remembered Draco telling her about the girl Harry Potter was interested in and the death of the girl's boyfriend. The way Draco told it, it sounded like Harry might have been involved in the murder of the boyfriend. Had he been twisted enough, even while at school to commit such an act? If Harry tried to kill her by sending her over a cliff, then it was certainly conceivable he killed the boyfriend— and Martha.

Ginny shuddered, feeling the start of tears sting her eyes; she did not want to imagine what the poor woman must have gone through in her last moments.

Ginny stood up, feeling suddenly claustrophobic in the stuffy room. What she wouldn't give to be outside, flying as fast as she could on her broom, feeling the wind whipping across her face and through her hair. She saw herself laughing with joy as she raced along beside someone in friendly competition; while she was very good, he had always been the slightly better flier, although the new broom he recently gifted her with made them nearly equal…

Feeling suddenly dizzy, Ginny grabbed onto the bedpost to steady herself, wondering where that thought had come from. Was it a memory from her past? She tried holding onto the image of the man flying beside her and to bring his features into focus. But it was gone as quickly as it had come. Frustrated with herself, she still felt the need to be out in the open air and, since she didn't have a broom, a walk in the garden would have to suffice.

Ginny took deep, cleansing breaths as she walked along the stone paths, but even the tranquility of the garden did not help to put her at ease. She had so many questions and very few answers; and she still knew very little about herself. Draco was becoming more evasive whenever she asked him direct questions, and she was coming to the conclusion that if that's how he was going to be, then she would just have to go out and find her own answers. True, the thought of Harry Potter or his Death Eaters finding her was frightening, but she was beginning to believe she had never been the type to allow other people to fight her battles for her. Perhaps it was time to take a chance and contact her family.

"A galleon for your thoughts," someone said directly behind her.

Startled, Ginny turned quickly to see Draco standing close behind her.

"I'm sorry," he apologized. "I didn't mean to scare you."

"There's no need to apologize," Ginny said. "I didn't hear you, that's all. I suppose I'm feeling a bit jumpy after… well, after what's happened."

"That's understandable," Draco replied quietly. "I have to admit I'm a bit on edge myself."

When Draco showed her the article about Martha's murder earlier, he had seemed very upset by the news. Of course it was normal to be distressed after learning someone you knew had been brutally murdered, but Ginny felt something about his reaction seemed… odd; like there was something more behind his distress than an employer lamenting the death of his hired help.

"I just can't understand why someone would harm such a sweet person like Mrs. Pondergrass and I started to think…"

They began to walk slowly around the garden as Draco waited for her to continue.

"Maybe they found out that I'm here and that Mrs. Pondergrass knew about it. If Harry Potter is an Auror, then maybe he only said that he found her, when actually he is the one who killed her. If that's the case, and they know about me, then we are both in danger."

"Interesting theory," Draco mused. "But I've told you that you don't need to worry, and that I'll do everything that I can to protect you."

"I know," Ginny said, placing her hand on his arm and looking up at him. "But there is only so much you can to do by yourself. Maybe it's time for us to let everyone know I'm okay. You said I have a large family, so maybe between you and me and them, we can find a way to stop him."

"I know what happened with Mrs. Pondergrass has frightened you, but—"

"Draco, I don't want to keep hiding," she interrupted him. Then she squared her shoulders and continued with steely determination in her voice, "I want you to help me contact my family."

For a moment Draco looked back at her stonily and she thought he was going to flat-out refuse, but then his face softened and he brought his hand up to caress her cheek.

"If you're sure that's what you really want to do?" he phrased it more as a question, but he held her gaze intently.

"It is," she answered.

"Then," he replied, bending down, bringing his face closer to hers, "your wish is my command."

Ginny was so startled by his kiss that she did not immediately pull away from him, which Draco misinterpreted as her acceptance of his advance. Encouraged, he put his arm around her waist and pulled her closer.

Ginny's instinct was to object to the sudden contact with Draco's body and the feel of his lips on hers. While she was grateful for all he had done for her and she did not want to insult him outright, she was not about to allow him to take such liberties. She brought her hands up to his chest and pushed away from him slightly, breaking the kiss.

"Draco, I don't think I'm ready for this," Ginny said, hoping her annoyance was not yet overly apparent in her voice. "Not until I get my memory back. Please?"

She made her tone and words sound like a request, but if he did not let go of her or if he tried to kiss her again, her knee would have to make a much less subtle request.

Slowly, Draco released her, "Of course. I apologize for being so forward."

Seeing a slight shiver run through her body he said, "It's getting chilly. Shall we go back inside? Then I'll see what I can do about contacting your family."

"Thank you," she replied, relieved that he took her rejection so well.

They walked back into the manor, and as Draco placed his hand lightly on the small of her back, Ginny clenched her teeth tightly to suppress her sudden urge to break his arm.


	18. Through the Window

**Chapter 18: Through the Window**

"So we meet again."

Harry's head snapped around when the golden masked Death Eater entered the room and, luckily, this time the sudden movement did not make him feel a sick.

"I hope my colleagues have made you comfortable," the man's disguised voice smirked.

"Their hospitality's been exceptional," Harry replied facetiously as his eyes followed the new arrival's approach.

The room was now filled with over twenty Death Eaters and, while a few still wore masks, most of them had taken them off. Apparently they assumed Harry would not escape his current predicament and, therefore, he would never have opportunity to disclose their identity. So far Harry had recognized Gregory Goyle, Malcolm Baddock (now he remembered where he'd heard the name before; he was a Slytherin a few years behind him at Hogwarts), a few other former Slytherins he had played against in Quidditch while at Hogwarts, including Marcus Flint, as well as several other men whose pictures he'd seen on the monthly reminder memos of those currently wanted by the Ministry.

"Now that you're here," Harry continued, "are you going to tell me why you've been trying to make my life a living hell?"

"All in good time," Golden Mask answered.

Joddy had just finished explaining what had happened at the park and that their attempt to capture Teddy Lupin was unsuccessful. Golden Mask was not happy about it, but he had Potter now, as well other means to ensure the Auror sufficiently suffered over the next few days.

"Although," the man continued, "I believe you will soon find what you've already endured was nothing compared to what's to come."

"Oh?" Harry responded warily. The man had already taken Ginny from him not to mention he nearly succeeded in killing one of his best friends and kidnapping his godson for heaven knew what; did Harry dare consider what else he was planning?

"Just as you've caused others' pain, so it will be for you." He indicated the men in the room, "Each one of these good men has reason see you suffer."

"Good men?" Harry scoffed with a humorless laugh. "From what I see of the ones not too cowardly to show me their faces, they're nothing but lowlifes and criminals."

Angry murmurs erupted from the mob until Golden Mask held up his hand, silencing them.

"You'll see every one of our faces eventually," the man assured. "But I don't want to ruin the surprise too soon. Although, considering you are at the mercy of everyone in this room, I'd be careful how I address them, if I were you."

"Enough talk!" one of the unmasked men said boldly. Harry recognized his face from one of the Ministry memos, but he could not remember the man's name. He also recognized his voice as the one who spoke of Golden Mask's promise earlier. "You said we could 'ave some fun with 'im if we helped you!"

There were murmurs of agreement and Golden Mask said, "Apparently not every Wizard in the country idolizes you."

"I'm deeply hurt," Harry replied sarcastically.

"Not as much as I think you're about to," the man countered forebodingly and motioned to the Death Eater who had spoken. "Since you've been the most persistent, Osmore, you can be the first to administer punishment."

The Death Eater, Osmore, was of medium height, slightly overweight and clearly in need of a bath. As the Death Eater swaggered up to him, Harry was reminded of his cousin Dudley, courageously bolstered by his backup gang of bullies as he closed in on his smaller, helpless prey.

"You know the condition," the Death Eater standing next to Golden Mask stated. He was one of the few who had remained masked. "Potter is not to be killed. Should one of you do so, you won't live to see tomorrow. Is that understood?"

They all nodded their understanding, as did the Death Eater first in line to dole out Harry's 'punishment'. Osmore stood in front of Harry and grinned evilly as he contemplated his options.

"So many ways we could do it, eh, _Auror_? It's a real shame the Minister's made the Cruciatus Taboo, but this will be almost as satisfying."

Osmore waved his wand and Harry tensed, bracing himself for whatever curse the man had decided to use on him. But instead of feeling pain as he expected, Harry watched an object materialize in front of him which the Death Eater caught in mid air. Harry felt a sickening jolt in the pit of his stomach when it became clear to him how his punishment was to be inflicted; the object the man held in his hand was a whip.

"But first," Osmore said, striking Harry across the face with the handle of the whip. Pain exploded in Harry's left cheek and the impact knocked his glasses across the room. "That was for my father who was murdered by those fighting with you in the Last Battle," Osmore rasped, bringing his face so close to Harry's that Harry could smell the man's stale breath. "This is for my brother whom _you_ sent to rot in Azkaban!" Harry's attacker rammed his meaty fist hard into his stomach.

As Harry gasped to catch his breath from the impact of the blow, the Death Eater strode past him with a flick of his wand. Harry's t-shirt vanished and he felt the room's cool air caress his upper body.

Then he heard Osmore's voice behind him, "But this is for me."

Harry heard the whip whistle through the air just before it cut painfully across his shoulders; every muscle in Harry's body tensed as he balled his hands into tight fists, willing himself to remain silent. He did not want to give the Death Eaters the pleasure of hearing him cry out if he could help it. But as Osmore brought the whip down upon him again and again, Harry finally found it impossible to suppress a pained moan from escaping his lips. This, unfortunately, encouraged the Death Eater to put all of his strength into the next swing of the whip, which cut more deeply into Harry's open wounds. Fiery agony blazed across Harry's already raw back, finally wrenching the cry of pain from him that they had all been waiting for.

"Enough!" Harry heard the golden masked Death Eater command. Relieved for the respite from the torturous blows, Harry slumped limply from the ropes while his head lolled weakly between his shoulders.

"You," Golden Mask addressed one of the Death Eaters, "Put his glasses back on him and hold his head up. I want him to see this."

Harry felt someone grasp a handful of his hair, roughly yank his head back and place his glasses on his face.

"Look out the window, Harry," Golden Mask instructed.

It took some effort on his part, but Harry fought to focus his attention on the garden through the window. It was growing dusk and, at first, Harry thought his eyes had to be playing tricks on him when he saw the woman's lithe form walking gracefully through the garden. Harry blinked several times, trying to clear the fog from his mind but the beautiful red-haired apparition remained before him.

"Ginny?"

Harry's voice came out as a hoarse whisper, but the golden masked Death Eater heard him.

"Yes, Harry, that _is_ Ginny."

Had he been right about what Martha Pondergrass tried to tell him? Ginny was alive and she had been held captive by Death Eaters these past months?

"Your fiancée is not dead, after all," Golden Mask acknowledged.

It was true! Ginny was alive! Seeing her after all this time, even at a distance, was like a balm to Harry's mind and soul and his heart soared despite the pain throbbing throughout his body. It gave him the energy to hold his head up without assistance so he could drink in the vision that was Ginny.

"But isn't this a surprise?" Golden Mask asked in a tone that made it blatantly obvious he was not surprised at all.

At first, Harry did not understand what the man was referring to, but then he saw another figure come into view and walk slowly toward Ginny. Harry immediately recognized the man in the garden with Ginny was none other than Draco Malfoy. Obviously, his suspicions about Malfoy had been correct as well.

As Harry watched the couple continue through the garden, what he was seeing started to make less and less sense. Although Ginny seemed startled by Malfoy's presence directly behind her, she did not react to the blond man's much too-close proximity as Harry expected she would. Instead, he saw her touch Malfoy on the arm, almost tenderly, which obviously encouraged him to move even closer to her. And then, to Harry's complete disbelief, Draco leaned down and kissed her full on the mouth, pulling her body close against his.

Several Death Eaters let out wolf-whistles but Harry, feeling almost smug, knew taking such liberties with Ginny was certainly a mistake on Malfoy's part. But instead of socking him squarely in the face like the slimy bastard deserved, he watched as Ginny placed her hands on Draco's chest and continued conversing with him. Then, Harry's shock and surprise began to turn into mounting fury when he saw Malfoy place his hand possessively on the small of Ginny's back as they walked serenely out of sight.

"Interesting," Golden Mask mused and then he turned to Malcolm Baddock. "Go ask Draco to join us, will you?"

xxxxxxxxx

Draco's lips and chest continued to tingle pleasantly everywhere Ginny's body had come into contact with his and he was still marveling at this phenomenon when Baddock entered the room.

"Doesn't anyone believe in knocking anymore?" Draco demanded irritably. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"_He's_ asked for your immediate presence at the meeting we are holding," Baddock answer smoothly.

"He has, has he?" Draco replied testily. Given his mother said Death Eaters had taken Harry from the park earlier in the day, Draco assumed he had a good idea what the 'meeting' was likely to be about.

"Yes," Baddock replied. "I'd advise you not to delay."

"Fine, then," Draco said reluctantly. "Lead the way."

Draco was surprised when, instead of heading toward the Apparition point, Baddock led him in the opposite direction towards the old carriage house that boarded one side of the garden.

"Where are we going?" Draco asked puzzled.

"You'll see," Baddock answered. "Come on."

As they approached the carriage house, a deafening silence descended around them telling Draco that a silencing charm had been placed around the building. It wasn't until they moved inside that Draco finally heard the others talking.

"Come in and join us, Draco," Golden Mask said almost too pleasantly.

Harry glared furiously at Draco when the blond wizard entered the room, and when he stepped closer to Harry at Golden Mask's insistence, Harry's pent up rage exploded. Despite the pain that seared across his back, Harry tried to lunge at Draco, who, along with the others, quickly took several steps backward.

"YOU'RE DEAD, MALFOY!" Harry bellowed as he struggled against his bonds. Malfoy was controlling Ginny somehow, otherwise, she would never allow him to get so close, let alone kiss her and grope her as he had. "I don't know what you've done to her, but I swear to God _you're going to_ REGRET IT!"

Once assured that the ropes holding Harry were completely secure, all of the Death Eaters, except for Draco, stepped closer to him again.

When Draco's initial shock from finding Harry beaten nearly to a bloody pulp in his own carriage house wore off, he quickly assembled his face into a mask of smug indifference.

"I don't think Harry enjoyed watching your stroll in the garden with his fiancée," Golden Mask commented.

"I'm sure he didn't," Draco smirked, gazing calmly back at his longtime adversary.

Harry stopped struggling against the ropes, realizing that it was gaining him nothing but burning pain across his back.

"How have you managed to keep Ginny here all this time, Malfoy?" Harry demanded, his green eyes snapping murderously at Draco. "You can't be using the Imperious Curse since it's Taboo and we'd have found you already. Is it a potion or some other kind of mind controlling curse?"

"Who says I need to use anything to keep her?" Malfoy asked casually.

"There can't be any other explanation for Ginny allowing you to," Harry could not bring himself to say the words 'kiss her' so he settled on, "get that close to her."

"No?" Draco smiled tauntingly. "I've found she's rather enjoyed my hospitality. Especially now that she's discovered what it's like to finally have a real man bed her. Although, I have to admit that fiery, um, shall I say _passion_ of hers nearly wore me out a few times… nearly."

"_You son of a_—" the taunt got the better of him and Harry tried to lunge at Draco again. Ginny had been missing for over three months and he didn't even want to think about what Malfoy might have done to her during that time.

"What's the matter, Potter?" Draco asked with fake sympathy. "Does the truth hurt?"

"That's enough, Draco," Golden Mask said coming forward. "Informing me of the park which Harry is fond of taking his godson to has certainly made things easier. I was able to position men to keep an eye out for them each day, although, I do wonder why you failed to tell me of his plans today yourself, as I had asked."

Draco, suddenly looking much less smug, was slow to respond, "I… ah… was…"

"Don't attempt to lie," Golden Mask said, holding up his hand, eyeing Draco appraisingly.

Knots of fear started to grow in Draco's stomach, but finally, the golden masked man said, "Perhaps we should ask Harry to thank you, since you're the one who caught his fiancée before she fell into the ocean. Although, it doesn't seem like he's feeling overly cordial towards you at the moment."

Harry continued to watch Malfoy with what could only be described as pure hatred burning in his eyes until Golden Mask said, "But within twenty-four hours there will be no reason for you to be concerned about Ginny any longer, Harry, since she'll be dead."

"What?" Harry asked apprehensively, his anger with Draco immediately forgotten and replaced by mounting dread.

"She will be tortured while you watch," Golden Mask stated matter-of-factly. "And then I'm going to kill her. I want you to know what it feels like to watch her slowly bleed to death knowing there is nothing you can do to save her."

"_Why?" _Harry demanded, feeling panic starting to close in on him. "Why are you doing all this?"

Golden Mask turned on him, sounding angry for the first time, "Because it's what you did to me!"

"What are you talking about?" Harry demanded incredulously, racking his brain to come up with even a remote idea of what the man was referring to. He, Harry, had never killed anyone, unless you counted Voldemort. But Harry did not think the man behind the gold mask was referring to his role in Voldemort's destruction; this form of vengeance stemmed from something much more personal.

"You don't have to hurt Ginny!" Harry desperately pleaded. "If it's revenge you want, kill me!"

"I intend to," Golden Mask stated more calmly.

"Then do it!" Harry dared with growing desperation. "Ginny hasn't done anything to you! Leave her out of it!"

"If you didn't love her, I would," Golden Mask replied. "But I know you, Harry, and I know that you care more for Ginny Weasley than you do for yourself; and that is exactly the reason she must die."

Harry knew there was no reasoning with the man and he took deep breaths, trying, but failing miserably, to gain control over his growing fear for Ginny. He had to find a way to get her safely away before Golden Mask hurt her. Unfortunately, he had no idea how he was going to do it.

The man in the gold mask went over to the Death Eater still holding the whip and took it from him. That one immediately looked quite disappointed that he had lost the opportunity to beat Harry further.

"Here, Draco," the man said, holding out the whip. "It's only fair that you have your turn."

"I appreciate the offer," Draco said, stepping back from the proffered bloody whip, "but it's not necessary."

"Still squeamish?" Golden Mask asked, his tone mocking. "Didn't you tell me how much you wanted revenge against Potter for his testimony, which put your father in Azkaban? This is your chance. I insist."

Draco eyed the weapon with disgust for a moment, but then he reluctantly took it from the man's hand. Harry glared at Draco but said nothing as the blond man moved past him without looking in his direction. Anticipating Draco to take full advantage of this opportunity to exact revenge for the years of hostility built up between them, Harry closed his eyes and clenched his teeth and fists to prepare for the next bite of the whip. When it stuck, his entire body jerked, but he was able to keep from making a sound.

"If I didn't know better, Draco, I'd say that your heart's not really in it," Golden Mask admonished. "I thought you'd at least _try_ to make Potter scream."

The next time Draco brought the whip down harder, but other than a visible tensing of his muscles and a quick inhale of breath, Harry was able to refrain from showing any other outward sign of the pain it caused.

"Goyle!" Golden Mask barked impatiently. "Show our colleague how to do it properly."

Goyle eagerly came forward and when Harry made no effort to look at him, he grabbed a fistful of Harry's hair, and yanked his head back. "I'm doin' this for Crabbe," Goyle rasped and then let go of Harry's hair to punch him in the ribs. "But I'm gonna enjoy it, too!"

Goyle put much more strength and determination into his effort than Draco had, and when Harry felt the whip cut across the deep wounds already crisscrossing his back, the blazing pain that shot through him was pure torture. This time he could not keep from screaming in agony. Goyle continued the whipping until Harry no longer had the strength to keep count and he started to fall in and out of consciousness.

"That will be all, Goyle." Harry was barely coherent enough to hear Golden Mask's words which now sounded like they were reaching his ears after traversing through a long, deep tunnel.

"I don't want him so far gone that he won't be able to say his farewells to Ginny. You two, Baddock and Flint— take the first shift to guard him and the rest of you will leave. I want it understood that no one is to touch him until after I return tomorrow."

Harry heard them begin to shuffle out of the room and he struggled to raise his head. Malcolm Baddock and Marcus Flint walked over to him and Baddock tugged on the ropes that secured each of Harry's limbs to test them.

"He's not going anywhere," Baddock commented to his colleague. "Come on. I'll play you a game of cards. I'm not about to stand around just watching his sorry arse all night. How much money you got?"

"Enough," Flint commented as they left to go into the adjacent room.

Draco was the last one who remained in the room but as he, too, turned to leave, Harry called to him.

"Malfoy…"

Draco hesitated but did not turn back toward him.

"Draco," Harry called again, finding it difficult to speak louder. "Please…"

"What is it, Potter?" Draco asked looking back at him over his shoulder.

"Take Ginny away from here," Harry replied in a barely audible whisper.

But Draco heard him and he answered with an incredulous laugh. "Sure, whatever you want."

"I mean it," Harry said, struggling to hold his head up and to keep his eyes focused on Malfoy. He was afraid of slipping into unconsciousness before he made his demand. "I want you to take Ginny as far away from here as you can."

"I don't particularly give a rat's arse what you—"

"You owe me!" Harry snapped, interrupting him with what little energy he had left.

"I owe you nothing, Potter!" Draco retorted angrily, taking several steps back toward Harry.

"I saved your life, Draco," Harry stated. His body was trembling from the effort it was taking him to speak. "In the Room of Requirement. You would have died in that fire if I hadn't come back to get you. You owe me a life debt and I'm asking you to save Ginny."

"You want me to take her away with me even after you saw us in the garden?" Draco asked, his eyebrows rose in surprise. "You don't care that we'll be together? And here I thought you loved her."

"I do love her," Harry whispered hoarsely as Ginny and Draco's kiss flashed tauntingly through his mind. "I _hate_ the idea of you being anywhere near her, but she'll be alive."

"Even if I wanted to, there's no way that I can," Draco replied but Harry thought he detected a note of regret in the blond man's voice. "Not now."

Draco turned and started to walk away again, but Harry called to him, insisting, "You can't just let him…" he was growing weaker by the second but he had to get Malfoy to agree, somehow. "Draco… please… _please_ don't let him hurt her…"

Draco stopped for a moment in the doorway. He closed his eyes and bowed his head for a moment and then, with a deep breath, shoved his hands into his pockets.

"Sorry, Potter," he said without looking back at Harry.

"Malfoy!" Harry called one last time. His voice came out as nothing more than a shaky whisper, but Draco was gone and he was powerless to save Ginny. As his world faded into blackness, Harry's heart ached with misery and despair knowing that the golden masked Death Eater would have his revenge.

xxxxxxxx

Moonlight shined through the windowpanes making a pattern of silvery blocks on the oriental carpet that disappeared and then reappeared behind Ginny's shadow as she paced the room. Every time she closed her eyes, some version of the frightening dream was waiting for her and she figured she would just have to accept the fact that she was not meant to get a full night's sleep.

After she and Draco entered the mansion from the garden, Ginny immediately excused herself and rushed straight up to her bedroom. Even though it was still early, she decided to change into her nightgown and crawl into bed. She felt tired, but not sleepy since she could not stop thinking about what had transpired between herself and Draco.

If she had not been resolved to contact her family before, she certainly was now. It wasn't that she was frightened of Draco; if he had wanted force himself on her, he had had plenty of opportunity to have done so by now. His kiss had been soft, almost tender, but it was definitely not an experience she wished to repeat. Not only had she found kissing Draco unappealing, but allowing him to kiss her made her feel… _guilty_.

With Martha gone, she was essentially alone in the mansion with Draco, and remaining ensconced so closely with him certainly no longer seemed a good idea.

Eventually she had fallen asleep, only to toss and turn until she was awakened by the nightmare yet again. Seeing the moonlight shining through a crack in the drapes, Ginny got out of bed and opened them wide. The light allowed her to see the small clock on the wall, which read twelve thirty-five; so many hours before it was morning and she could find out whether Draco had been able to contact someone in her family.

She started to pace slowly in front of the window, hoping it might smooth her nerves and help her to feel sleepy, but she soon gave it up. She sighed heavily and gazed down into the garden. She always found it peaceful there, but in the light of the moon, it seemed even more so tonight. As Ginny leaned her forehead against the cool glass, a slight movement near the carriage house caught her eye. She continued looking toward the spot, and just when she was about to chalk it up to her imagination, she saw movement again.

Looking more closely, Ginny saw Draco come out of the building, his blond hair shining white in the moonlight. Frowning, she wondered what he was doing out in the carriage house at this time of night, and then she saw him stop and turn. Curious, Ginny moved to the far end of the window to get a better look and her frown deepened when she saw that he was talking to another man wearing a black traveling cloak. Although she could not see the other man's face, she could tell he was not one of Draco's servants and it looked as though Draco was arguing with him.

She watched as they disappeared into the carriage house, and a few moments later Draco came back out by himself. Why he was meeting with someone so late was certainly a mystery, but the important thing was, he was still awake. Perhaps she did not need to wait until morning to find out if he had been successful at getting in touch with someone from her family.

Ginny slid her slim feet into a pair of slippers, tugged on a robe and, tying it tightly around her waist, she quietly made her way down the curved staircase. Looking down one of the hallways, she saw a light shining from the open door of Draco's study, but when she peeked in, she found the room was empty.

Assuming that he was still out in the carriage house, Ginny thought about waiting in the study for him, but then she changed her mind. Getting some fresh air might help her sleep once she went back to bed, and if he was still meeting with the man she saw, she'd just wait outside in the garden for him.

When she opened the wooden door to the garden, she was met by the calming sound of chirping crickets and the lonely hooting of an owl in the distance. Silently, she crossed the garden toward the carriage house. Since her eyes were already well adjusted to the darkness, the brightness of the moon almost made it seem like she was walking in daylight.

She saw no sign of Draco, but the moment she stepped in front of the carriage house door, complete and utter silence descended around her, like someone had cast a Silencing Charm over every cricket in the garden. Perhaps Draco had cast such a charm to prevent whatever he had been discussing with the other man from being overheard. But why would Draco feel the need to do such a thing?

She chewed her bottom lip between her teeth, contemplating whether to turn around to go back into the manor, but her curiosity was peeked and it was getting the better of her. She walked quietly over to the carriage house window and peeked in, but that was of no help because she saw nothing but pitch blackness. Ginny frowned wondering why it would be so dark if Draco was meeting with someone inside. Determined to get to the bottom of the mystery, she went back to the door, carefully pushed it open and peered inside.

Expecting not to be able to see anything given how dark the inside had looked through the window, Ginny was surprised to see a small anteroom, which opened into another room from which light was shining. She found this even more curious since the light source was clearly coming from the room she had just looked into through the window. Apparently, the window was charmed to keep anyone from seeing inside; but at least she probably had discovered where Draco was.

Her slippers made no sound as she walked across the wooden floor and when she stepped into room the lit room, nothing could have prepared her for the sight that confronted her.

A lone lantern sat on a bench that ran the entire length of the windowed wall, and in its dim light, she could plainly see a shirtless man hanging by his arms in the middle of the room. Her breath caught in her throat and even if she had wanted to scream, her shock was so great, she didn't think she would be able to.

The man's head was slumped down and she was unable to see his features due to the black, shoulder length hair that covered his face like a curtain. Ginny took a quick glance around the large room. Not seeing anyone else present, she cautiously tiptoed closer to get a better look at him, and then she immediately wished that she hadn't.

Upon closer inspection, it became sickeningly obvious that he had been severely beaten; even in the dim light, she was able to see bloody wounds along his chest and shoulders, and angry bruises were evident along both sides of his ribs. His jeans hung very low on his narrow hips and they were soaked dark with what she realized was his blood. Ginny stepped up beside him, and what little she could see of the condition of his back stopped her from going further because she thought if she were to see it more clearly, she would vomit.

She stumbled backward, knocking into the bench and when she put her hand down to steady herself, she touched a thin object. Looking down, she saw that it was a wand and she picked it up. She instinctively knew it was not her own, but the wand felt surprisingly comfortable in her hand, as if it welcomed her touch.

She looked back at the man, struck suddenly by the terrifying thought that he might actually be dead; but then, thankfully, she detected the subtle movement of his chest as he took slow, shallow breaths.

Ginny's mind raced, searching for an answer for why, not only was there a man hanging in Draco's carriage house, but why was he in such horrific condition? What in Merlin's name was Draco involved in? She looked back at the hanging man and her next thought was that she had to help him. She could use the wand in her hand to get him down, but once she did, what was she to do with him?

"What are you doing here?"

This time, Ginny did let out a cry of alarm and, when she spun around, her eyes landed on Draco Malfoy standing in the doorway, wand in hand.


	19. Cottage on the Hill

**Chapter 19: Cottage on the Hill**

"Don't come any closer!" Ginny commanded, pointing the wand she was holding at the middle of Draco's chest.

Draco's pale eyes registered a combination of surprise and mild concern, but he recovered quickly. Ignoring her words, he took a slow, cautious step forward, holding his own wand up but not pointed directly at her.

"You shouldn't be in here," he said, keeping his eyes focused on the tip of her wand. "It isn't safe."

"Not safe? For me or for him?" Ginny demanded, inclining her head toward Harry's unconscious form as Draco moved to take another step forward.

"Stay where you are!" Ginny cried, setting off gold sparks from the tip of Harry's wand. Her body was trembling so badly that she was having trouble holding the wand steady in her hand. "I want to know what's going on!"

"Calm down," Draco cajoled, "and I'll explain everything to you."

"You actually have an explanation for why there's a beaten, half-naked man hanging in your carriage house!" she asked incredulously.

"I do," Draco affirmed. He glanced cautiously back at the door to the smaller room and then turned back to her. "But first you need come with me right now."

"I don't think so!" Ginny snapped back at him. "Not until I know what this is all about!"

"We don't have time for this!" Draco shot back angrily.

"I mean it, Draco!" Ginny shouted, shooting a curse at him when he moved toward her again. It flew past Draco's shoulder, barely missing him, and exploded in a shower of sparks against the wall behind him.

"I certainly don't plan on going _anywhere _with—"

She was cut off when two other men rushed into the room, and when they saw Ginny was holding Draco at wand-point, they quickly trained both of their wands on her.

"Drop the wand, Weasley," Malcolm Baddock told her. "There are three of us, so it's not like you stand a chance against us."

Ginny tossed him an angry look, but she slowly lowered Harry's wand and placed it back on the bench behind her.

"Giving you trouble, is she?" Marcus Flint commented as Draco went to retrieve the wand Ginny had just put down.

"Not particularly," Draco replied coolly. "I had everything under control."

"Yeah, we could see that," Baddock answered sarcastically.

"Draco, are you going to tell me what this is about? Who _are_ these men?" Ginny asked. She could make no sense out of anything that was happening.

"Curious little thing, aren't you?" smirked Flint. His eyes traveled appreciatively up and down the curves of Ginny's body to finally rest blatantly on the cleavage her loosened robe displayed.

The way he was leering at her made Ginny's skin crawl and she irately gathered the neck of her robe closed. Flint moved closer to her, and when he reached his hand out, she tried to step away from him, but her back was already up against the bench. He grinned down at her and grabbed a handfull of her hair to feel the silky strands with his fingers.

Ginny slapped his hand away, glaring at him. "Keep your filthy hands off me!"

"Oooeee! I'd heard the blokes at Hogwarts say that her temper matched her hair," he exclaimed, undaunted. "But that can be fun. You know, Malfoy, I don't think it's fair that you've had her all to yourself for so long. He told us not to touch Potter there, but he didn't say anything about her."

Ginny was startled to hear him mention Hogwarts along with Harry Potter's name and she glanced quickly at the beaten man. His hair was black, which Draco had earlier confirmed was the color of Harry Potter's. If that's who the hanging man was, then he certainly deserved to be detained and punished, but no matter what he had done, it was not right that they had so brutally beaten him.

"So what do you say, Malfoy?" Flint urged, bringing Ginny's attention back to him. "You willing to share?"

Ginny shuddered inwardly at Flint's crude suggestion. She thought Draco would certainly never allow him to do something so foul, but then she could hardly believe it when he shrugged casually, "Sure, why not? She's all yours."

Ginny let out a shocked gasp and jolts of fear quickly shot throughout her body when Draco turned and headed toward the door. Her knees suddenly felt like they no longer wanted to support her weight and she grabbed onto the bench behind her for support.

"Just don't expect me to stick around to watch," Draco called over his shoulder.

Flint's leer grew even more lecherous and, heart pounding in her chest, Ginny tensed, preparing to put up the fight of her life; she'd die before allowing the filthy pig to touch her. Then, just as his fingers encircled her upper arm, she heard two quick, consecutive shouts of _"Stupefy!"_ Flint pitched forward and Ginny had to quickly jump aside to avoid being crushed against the bench by his falling body. Flint and Baddock both hit the floor with resounding thuds and Ginny stared down at them in shock. Draco had stunned the men from the doorway and now he rushed back to her and grabbed her wrist to lead her to the door.

"We have to leave!" Draco said urgently. "Someone will be along soon to take over their watch and we can't be here when they find those two out cold."

"NO!" Ginny yanked her arm furiously out of his grip. He had been holding on to her so tightly that she feared she might have left some skin behind. "I want answers, Draco! And I want them now! Is that Harry Potter?"

"I told you I'll explain everything," Draco replied, "but not here! Not now!"

Ginny held her ground, "Is, or is that not Harry Potter?"

"Oh for Merlin's— yes! That's Potter," Draco confirmed. "Now come _on!_"

"And I said I'm not going anywhere with you!" Ginny crossed her arms stubbornly. "Especially now that I know you're involved with people like them," she pointed animatedly at the two unconscious men to emphasize her point, "and that you are capable of nearly beating someone to death! I don't care what Harry Potter has done to me or to anyone else! No one deserves to be treated like that!"

"_I'm_ not the one who tied him up and beat him into that condition!" Draco defended.

"Then your friends did!" she countered. "They're not any better than those Death Eaters you've told me about!"

"They are Death Eaters!" Draco shot back at her before he could stop himself.

"_WHAT?"_ Ginny's shock was so complete that the word came out close to a shrill shriek, and she stumbled backward.

"And they are certainly not my friends," Draco stated, as Ginny continued to stare at him, agape. "But now you understand why we have to go!"

Ginny remained unmoved and when he realized she was not changing her mind about leaving with him, Draco put his face in his hands in exasperation. He was still holding both his and Harry's wands so when he brought his hands down, he aimed his wand at her.

"What are you going to do?" Ginny asked, her sudden, heightened fear causing her voice to tremble.

"I'm leaving and you're coming with me," Draco answered smoothly. Reading the look of distrust he saw in her eyes he continued, "If I'd really wanted to hurt you, I'd have done it by now, don't you think? But I'm not about to hang around arguing with you. So, I'm either going stun you and carry you out or you can come along willingly. Which is it going to be?"

Everything was happening too fast and Ginny's mind was reeling. Draco knew the Death Eaters; Harry Potter was the man hanging from the rafters of Draco's carriage house; according to Draco, the Death Eaters were responsible for Harry Potter's horrific condition. But Harry Potter was the one who had lead them in the attack in which she was injured, so why had they turned on him and beaten him? And according to what she had read in the Daily Prophet, Harry was also an Auror, so then why was he mixed up with Death Eaters? None of it made any sense whatsoever! Except for what Draco had just said; if he truly had wanted to hurt her, he already had plenty of time to have done so.

While she still needed many more answers, she made up her mind. "Fine! I'll come with you—"

"Good! Let's go!"

"Wait!"

Draco's exasperation was obvious when he turned on her, "What _now_?"

"What about him?" Ginny asked, pointing at Harry. "We can't just leave him here."

"Watch me," Draco answered, indifferently.

"Draco!" Ginny exclaimed, appalled. "They've already beaten him badly. What if they do more to him? He could die!"

"What do you propose we do?" Draco demanded. "Bring him with us?"

"Yes!" Ginny shot back adamantly.

"Baddock! Flint!"

The shouts from the anteroom startled them both and they cast fearful glances to the door.

Before Draco could move, Ginny grabbed Harry's wand from him and bent down to vanish the ropes securing Harry's ankles. She placed one arm around Harry's waist, trying not to think about the damp feel of his blood-soaked jeans that seeped through the thin fabric of her robe. She was finding it difficult to position herself so she could remove the ropes on his wrists while steadying herself enough to keep him from falling hard to the floor.

"Help me!" Ginny hissed and Draco let out an exasperated groan.

"Move out of the way!" he commanded in a hushed whisper and he pushed her back so he could position his shoulder level with Harry's stomach. "Cut him loose."

Using the wand in her hand, Ginny freed both of Harry's wrists and Draco lifted Harry's full weight over his shoulder.

"We'll have to go out the back door," he said in a grunted whisper.

Draco pointed his wand at the lantern sitting on the bench, extinguishing the light and, with Harry draped over his shoulder, he led her toward the back of the carriage house.

"What happened to the light?" They heard one man call from behind them.

"Dunno," they heard his companion reply. "Maybe Baddock or Flint put it out? _Lumos_!"

Draco and Ginny managed to make it around to the far side of the carriages before one of the newcomers shined their wand in their direction, but in the dark, Ginny bumped into the wall.

"Did you hear that?"

"Yeah, it came from back- _shite!_"

"_What?" _ Ginny heard the other man reply fearfully.

As quietly as he could, Draco eased the back door of the carriage house open and Ginny hurried through the portal. Draco quickly followed with Harry and then Ginny closed the door behind them.

"Potter's gone! And Baddock and Flint are out cold!"

"_Colloportus,"_ Ginny whispered, sealing the door with Harry's wand.

"I just heard something again! Back there! Potter must have gotten lose and he's going out the back! Come on!"

The moon was now low on the horizon, providing only a small amount of light to see by. Ginny and Draco both stumbled and nearly fell several times but they kept moving. They had gone no more than fifty feet when they heard the men inside the carriage house begin to pound on the door they had just come out of.

"Hurry up!" Draco admonished. "We have to get past the gate before we can Apparate."

Ginny could just barely make out the outline of the ornate wrought iron gate up ahead, which seemed so far away. If the Death Eaters managed to get through the door too soon, the men might be able to stop them before they reached the Apparition point.

As if Fate had read her mind, Ginny heard a loud crash from behind them when the Death Eaters blasted their way through the carriage house's back door.

"Keep moving!" Draco hissed and then he added under his labored breath, "We'll make it if we leave Potter!"

"Don't you dare!" Ginny admonished, and redoubled her effort to run faster.

They had nearly reached the gate when the two men saw them. "There he is! And he's got someone with him!"

"Stop him! _Stop him_!"

Several curses whizzed by Ginny and Draco, and one hit the ground so close to Draco's feet, that he stumbled again and nearly fell. Ginny saw that Draco was losing his precarious hold on Harry, and she placed her hands on the side of Harry's body to keep him in place over Draco's shoulder.

Several more curses flew much too close to them, but finally Draco pulled up short. "Take my hand!"

Ginny grabbed onto him and, when Draco turned, she felt her body compress into suffocating darkness as they disappeared from the Malfoy estate.

xxxxxxxxx

When at last Ginny emerged from the darkness and she could once again breathe, she was met by the ethereal light of daybreak and cold wind. She recognized the smell of salty air and the sound of crashing waves nearby and then she felt a sudden wave of dizziness when she thought she heard people yelling far off in the distance.

'_How can they be attacking?'_

'… _haven't brought the wards down!'_

'…_still out there!'_

'_GINNY! WAIT!'_

Ginny took a quick look around, which only intensified her feeling of dizziness. She swayed slightly and grasped Draco's hand tighter for a moment to gain her balance, but he did not seem to notice.

"For such a scrawny git, he's certainly not a bloody lightweight," Draco grumbled, unceremoniously dropping Harry onto the ground.

Feeling steadier now, Ginny abruptly released her hold on Draco and looked around again for the people she heard yelling, but the three of them appeared to be the only ones around.

"Where are we?" Ginny asked, starting to shiver. On a high knoll ahead of them was a large, multi-gabled building with multiple chimneys, and beyond that she saw nothing but the wide expanse of the ocean.

"My mother's cottage," Draco replied. "To my knowledge, no one knows she owns it, so we should be safe enough here for now."

Eyeing Harry with undisguised loathing, Draco levitated his body off the ground and conjured a stretcher under him. Without another word, he turned toward the cottage and Ginny followed, walking slowly beside the stretcher.

The sun began to rise as they drew closer to the cottage, and Ginny was able to see it in more detail. Her first thought was that Draco's idea of a cottage was a far cry from her own. While the building they were walking toward was relatively small compared to Malfoy Manor, she still considered it to be much larger and grander than a regular house. Instead of looking warm and welcoming as she imagined a cottage should, the exterior, which was detailed with ornate trim, seemed cold and foreboding. They walked up the steps of a wrap-around porch adorned with an elaborate wrought-iron railing and Ginny waited impatiently as Draco removed several locking charms from an overly decorated wooden double door.

Ginny thought that her initial perception of the house itself being cold might stem from the fact that she was already shivering uncontrollably from the chilly early morning breeze; but after they stepped into the house's formal foyer and Draco lit several crystal sconces, she knew that was not the case. The floors were made of marble tile and all of the woodwork that she could see from where she was standing in the doorway was marked with intricate carvings. Overhead was a crystal chandelier, and the railing of a curved staircase leading up to the second floor was made with the same wrought-iron material and pattern as the porch.

Ginny jumped when the front door closed and locked loudly behind them, and when she faced Draco, she hoped that her distaste for the décor did not show too plainly on her face. Not comfortable with the fact that she was now, for all intents and purposes, alone with Draco and that he was standing much too close to her, Ginny stepped around to the other side of Harry's inert form to put some space between them.

Draco's pale eyes were unreadable as they followed her movement and after a few moments of stilted silence, Draco turned away from her and said, "I'll get a fire going in the living room."

Feeling only slightly relieved for the moment, Ginny turned her attention to Harry. He was lying on his side and the wind had blown his dark hair across his face, so, while she could now tell that he wore glasses, she was still not able to discern what he looked like. His position, however, did provide her with a better view of his raw and bloody back, making it obvious that a whip was the weapon the Death Eaters had chosen to use on him. A chill ran though her again, although it may have been due to clearly seeing the condition of the unconscious man's back as much as from the cold. Ginny realized that, without a shirt and in blood-dampened jeans, he most certainly had to be cold. She still held the wand she had found on the bench in the carriage house, which she assumed was his, and she conjured a blanket to cover him with. That would do for the moment, but it didn't matter who he was or what he had done; his wounds needed tending.

Ginny gripped the wand tightly in her hand and cautiously followed after Draco; there was a roaring fire already burning in the hearth, but she saw no sign of the blond man. Wondering where he had gone, she crossed the room toward the fireplace and stretched her hands out before its inviting warmth; then someone came up behind her and ripped the wand out of her hand. She let out a startled cry and turned to find Draco standing directly behind her.

"Sorry," Draco replied in answer to her frightened, questioning look. "In the interest of self preservation, I think it's best that you're not armed."

Anger was quickly replacing her fear and Ginny glared at him, "Why? Are you afraid I'll hex you like you deserve?"

"Yeah, something like that," he replied, pocketing both his and Harry's wand.

In addition to her anger at Draco, every nerve in Ginny's body was feeling incredibly raw and drained. While she wanted nothing more than to pull one of the nearby armchairs closer to the fire, curl up in it and shut Draco and the world out for a while, Harry's wounds were not going to tend to themselves.

Taking a deep, cleansing breath, Ginny said, "We need to do something about the injuries on his back."

"Saving Potter's life was one thing," Draco snorted. "Playing nursemaid to him is not part of the deal."

"What do you mean?" Ginny asked, frowning in confusion,

"Nothing," Draco shrugged, staring into the fire.

"We should take him to a Healer," Ginny stated. "Some of the wounds look pretty deep and are still bleeding quite a bit." She refrained from adding it hadn't helped that Draco dropped Harry to the ground when they arrived.

"We can't," Draco said, running his hand through his hair and turning to pace the room. "Not until I've had a chance to think for a bit."

"But—" Ginny started to protest, but he cut her off.

"He has people everywhere," Draco said as if that settled the matter.

"Who has people everywhere?" Ginny asked.

"The Death Eaters' leader," Draco replied. "To say that he is not going to be happy to find Potter gone is putting it mildly. Leaving the Manor _and _taking him with us has probably signed my death warrant. We can't take a chance of having someone see us and report it back to him."

"I don't understand," Ginny said with growing irritation. Why was absolutely nothing that Draco said making any sense? "Isn't Harry Potter the leader of the Death Eaters?"

"No."

"But you told me he's responsible for what happened to me," Ginny replied as her confusion mounted.

"He is," Draco answered, again providing nothing more than a maddening and too brief answer.

Ginny put her fingers to her face and massaged her temples as, if by doing so, it would arrange the puzzle pieces into some semblance of order. Finally, she faced Draco with her hands on her hips, wishing with every fiber of her being she still had a wand.

"Would you please explain Harry Potter's relationship to the Death Eaters then? Not to mention yours."

"I will. Soon."

"What's wrong with right now?" Ginny demanded. He was making her feel like a petulant child, but she wanted —no, she deserved— answers.

"Because," he replied haughtily, crossing his arms, "I don't particularly feel like it at the moment."

"Fine!" Ginny said, her eyes snapping with anger as she desperately fought the urge to try to throttle him. "Then at least help me move him into a bedroom and show me where you keep your medical supplies. I'll see what I can do to fix up his back myself."

"Why all the concern for Potter?" Draco demanded angrily.

"He's hurt, Draco!" Ginny snapped back incredulously. "We can't leave him like that!"

He glowered at her for a moment and then huffed, "Oh, alright, if you're so worried about him!"

Draco stalked out of the room leaving Ginny to wonder why her wanting to tend Harry's back was cause to raise his anger.

Ginny followed Draco out to the foyer, where, without another word to her, he levitated both the stretcher and Harry up the stairs to a bedroom on the second floor. After positioning the stretcher over the middle of the bed, Ginny carefully removed the blanket she had conjured trying not to let it rub across his wounds. Draco casually flicked his wand, tipping it to one side so that Harry rolled off and landed heavily on his back. Ginny heard Harry moan, making it apparent that the jarring of his injuries caused enough pain to break into his unconscious state.

Ginny glared at Draco for his deliberate ill-treatment of someone so horribly injured, but all she said was, "I'll need a wand so I can clean him up properly."

"No," Draco shook his head. "I don't think that's a good idea."

Ginny sighed heavily, "I won't hex or curse you."

Draco eyed her suspiciously and she amended, "Okay, what if I promise that I will not hex you or curse you before you've had the chance to explain everything to me like you promised."

She held out her hand expectantly as Draco thought over her pledge and then he slowly reached into his pocket for Harry's wand and handed it to her, albeit reluctantly.

"You'll find healing potions and whatever else you need in the closet in the bathroom down the hall," Draco said as his eyes raked over Harry's form contemptuously.

"Oh, and one more thing," he added, aiming his wand at Harry's leg. A chain slithered from its tip, wrapped around Harry's ankle and then fastened itself around the post at the end of the bed. "Just to make sure he can't get loose if he wakes up."

Ginny discovered numerous bandages, a large bottle of Dittany and several healing balms in the closet just as Draco had indicated and, back in the room, she laid the items out on the nightstand beside the bed. She then turned her attention to Harry, contemplating where to begin.

The sun was streaming in through the windows now, affording Ginny plenty of natural light to work by. She determined the first order of business was to remove the blood from his jeans so they would at least be clean and dry. Ideally, it would be better to fully launder them, but she was not about to remove his clothing, so a simple scouring charm would have to suffice.

She did remove Harry's trainers and then whispered, _"Scourgify," _several times, passing the wand over him until she was satisfied with the results. She also removed the blood that had soaked into her robe when she tried to untie Harry in the carriage house. Then she braced herself to examine the condition of his back more closely, praying that the gory sight would not make her sick.

Taking a deep breath, Ginny levitated Harry's body off the bed, but she was unable to rotate him over onto his stomach, finding that the chain securing his leg to the bed hindered her effort. She debated for a moment whether to remove it or not and finally she decided on its removal; he had remained unconscious this long, and it did not look to her like his condition was likely to change any time soon. With the chain gone, she cleaned up the blood that had stained the bed where he was lying and then she carefully turned him over, easing him down so that he was now resting on his stomach.

Ginny swallowed hard to keep her stomach and nerves in check as she surveyed the damage the Death Eaters' abuse had inflicted. Open, bloody welts crisscrossed Harry's entire back, and, in some places, it was impossible to determine where one lash wound started and another began amongst his mangled flesh. While the center of his back, along and between his shoulders had taken the most punishment, several welts ran over the top of his shoulders and around to his chest.

In all, Ginny estimated they must have given him at least thirty or forty lashes and she shuddered, wondering at their intended cruelty; what had he done to cause them to treat him so?

Ginny opened the bottle of Dittany although her hands were shaking so badly that, when she tried to pour some of the brown liquid onto one of the cloth bandages, she spilled nearly a quarter of the contents on the floor. When at last she succeeded in soaking the cloth with enough of the healing potion, she began the arduous task of applying the medicine and cleaning Harry's wounds.

As she worked, Ginny tried to sort through the events that had occurred over just the past few hours. Draco was involved with the Death Eaters, but she still had no idea to what extent. Even though he claimed he was innocent of beating Harry, she still had no explanation for why Harry was in Draco's carriage house in the first place. Based on what the blond wizard had previously told her, she had been under the assumption that Harry was the Death Eaters' leader, but now Draco claimed this was not the case; yet he still insisted Harry _was_ responsible for the attack in which she was injured.

Draco had also said that she and Harry dated while they attended Hogwarts, and Ginny thought again about the murdered boyfriend of the other girl Harry had fancied. Had he committed that murder? And had he sought the same fate for her only a few months ago?

Was Harry Potter the one she kept dreaming about in her nightmares? She could never recall exactly what the frightening man in her dreams looked like, but she was certain that he had very dark or black hair. Perhaps her subconscious mind was trying to help her remember what Harry had done to her.

Shaking her head at so many unanswered questions, she finally finished applying the Dittany to the last raw area of Harry's back. When she sat back to assess her handiwork, she was quite satisfied with the results. All of the bleeding had stopped and even the worst of the wounds was already starting to show the beginning signs of healing. All that was left to attend to were the few wounds on his chest.

With a wave of the wand, Ginny carefully turned Harry over as gently as she could, but keeping him levitated a few inches above the bed to avoid putting the pressure of his weight on his raw back.

In this position, she was able to get her first good look at him. His round glasses sat slightly askew on his face and, since she figured he didn't need them at the moment, she removed them and placed them on the nightstand. She sat back to study his face intently for nearly a minute, hoping it would trigger something in her memory, good or bad, but nothing came to her. She tried to rationalize that perhaps the large bruise on his face and his swollen bloody lip accounted for her lack of recognition. Suddenly eager to test her theory, Ginny applied a small amount of the Dittany to his bottom lip, and while she waited for the swelling to diminish, she continued to study his face, which was turned slightly in her direction.

He was not what she considered extremely handsome, although his boyish features were attractive. His face was somewhat thin, as was his straight nose. His lips, now almost back to normal thanks to the Dittany, looked full and soft. His eyebrows and eyelashes, of course, matched the color of his hair, but they seemed almost too dark against the paleness of his skin. She noted that his eyelashes were long and thick for a man's and she puzzled at her sudden desire to know the color of his eyes; were they dark to match his hair, blue or perhaps pale gray like Draco's?

Noticing a mark on his forehead, Ginny gently brushed his hair aside, revealing a fading scar in the shape of a lightning bolt. She frowned, wondering what had caused such an oddly shaped scar.

Sighing with disappointment that nothing about him triggered anything in her memory, Ginny soaked another cloth with the healing liquid and put to work on the lash marks on his chest. This task did not take nearly as long as tending his back, since there were far fewer open wounds to deal with; but she did note the presence of several other scars on his body. The most prominent was in the shape of a small oval in the middle of his chest, which looked as though someone had gouged out the skin in this area. There was a small scar that ran down the inside crook of his left arm and another scar that looked as though something had punctured deep into his right forearm.

Ginny reached out hesitantly, oddly compelled to touch the old puncture wound, but she checked herself when visions of the long, dark corridor from her nightmares swam before her eyes. She closed her eyes tightly, willing her sudden feeling of panic to subside and once it had, she frowned. What had brought _that_ particular part of her nightmare so sharply to mind?

Shaking off the memory of her nightmares, she looked back at Harry's arm and her eyes traveled to the back of his right hand. Again, there were more scars, although they were very tiny and barely visible. The marks looked remarkably like words and, curious, she took his hand into hers to examine them more closely.

Sure enough, the small scars spelled out, _'I must not tell lies.'_ That was certainly a strange phrase to carve into one's hand, she thought.

Ginny replaced Harry's arm back at his side and allowed her eyes to travel over his entire form. She guessed that if he were to stand next to Draco, he would not be quite as tall, and, although Harry was thin, by no means would she call him scrawny. While he was not muscular or powerfully built, his arms and upper body were well toned and certainly worth the admiration of any woman. His chest sported a very light covering of hair with a thin line running down the center of his flat stomach that disappeared under the waistband of his jeans—

Feeling suddenly flush, Ginny chastised herself for the path that her eyes and thoughts had started to follow. She was very thankful no one was present to observe her blatant perusal of his body, but she could not deny there was definitely something about Harry Potter that attracted her, even while he was unconscious.

But why? This man was responsible for the fact that she had nearly died, and here she was, practically undressing him with her imagination. Was she crazy?

Rather disgusted with herself, Ginny rotated Harry over so he was again lying on his stomach. She took a quilt that was lying across the bottom of the bed and brought it up to his waist, leaving his back uncovered to heal in the open air. She noted with great satisfaction that the Dittany was working remarkably well, and with several more applications of the healing potion, he was likely to suffer only minimal scarring from the deepest of the wounds. Although why that thought pleased her so much, she could not fathom; as if she should care one way or the other whether Harry Potter had to suffer the rest of his life with horrible scars crisscrossing his back or not.

Ginny gazed down at Harry a few moments more, unable to shake her disappointment that finally seeing him only conjured up images from her nightmares and did nothing to aid her in remembering anything from her past life.

With a weary sigh, she crossed the room and closed the door quietly behind her. At least it was now time for Draco to start answering some questions.


	20. Resolve

A/N- Yes, I know. This update's been a long time coming. Unfortunately life has continued to plot against me by providing very limited time for writing. Thanks can go out to Mark whose PM gave me the kick in the rear I needed to put on the finishing touches & send the chapter out to my beta, Amelie, to whom I send out my thanks as well. This chapter turned out to be a fairly long one, so hopefully that will partly help make up for the wait.

**Chapter 20- Resolve **

Wishing she had changed into something else before she went in search of Draco earlier, Ginny decided to rectify the situation and, moving Harry's wand in a circular motion around her head, she transformed her nightgown and robe into a casual white pullover sweater and a pair of faded jeans; a comfortable pair of navy-colored flats completed her ensemble. Now, she thought as she slowly descended the stairs, Draco was finally going to answer some questions.

Squaring her shoulders determinedly, Ginny strode purposely into the room where Draco had built the fire. She found him sitting in one of the chairs in front of the fireplace, staring into the dancing flames and she took the chair opposite him.

"Precious Potter is all fixed up, is he?" Draco asked, eyeing Ginny's Muggle attire before looking away from her again.

Taken aback by the bitter tone of Draco's voice, Ginny frowned at him wondering what kind of answer he expected her to give. "The Dittany seems to be starting to heal his wounds, yes."

He merely sniffed in response and shifted to sit back farther in his chair.

"Is there a problem, Draco?" Ginny asked tentatively.

"Problem?" Draco repeated frostily. "What makes you think there's a problem?"

"Because for some reason I can't fathom, you seem angry," she replied.

Draco continued to stare at the fire and, at first, Ginny thought he was not going to reply but he finally said, "I'm not angry. I'm just having a hard time understanding your concern for someone you think may have tried to kill you."

"I don't think I'm any more concerned for him than I would be for anyone else who's been badly injured," Ginny replied coolly. Then, attempting to steer the conversation in the direction she wanted it to go, she continued, "Much like you have done for me by keeping me safe these past months from Harry Potter and the Death Eaters. Although I'm still confused regarding the relationship between the two…"

She waited expectantly for Draco to launch into an explanation, and when he did not, she began to roll Harry's wand between her fingers. "Need I remind you of your promise?"

"I knew letting you have the wand back was a bad idea," Draco grumbled as he stood up. "And no, I don't need a reminder."

"Where are you going?" Ginny demanded as he started across the room.

"To have something to eat," he replied as he kept walking. "While you were no doubt very tenderly nursing Potter, I went to get us some food. If you haven't realized, I've been awake all night, so not only am I tired, I'm hungry."

"Draco Malfoy! Don't you _dare_ try to change the subject and walk away from me!" Ginny stormed, going after him. "If you don't start answering my questions, I swear I'm going to hex you so badly, your own mother won't recognize you!"

"That's not really a good idea," Draco replied as he kept walking, "Most people can't converse very well when hexed, so I doubt it would help you to learn much."

Barely containing a growl of frustration, Ginny followed him into the dining room, where Draco started to unpack a large picnic basket.

"Where'd you get this?" Ginny asked in surprise, although she was still angry with him.

"From my aunt's house," he answered.

When he handed her a plate containing a thick sandwich stuffed with what looked like chicken, lettuce and tomato, she felt her stomach grumble. Further annoyed that he was correct about her hunger, Ginny grabbed the plate from him irately, placed it not too gently on the table, and sat in the chair next to him with a huff.

After watching Draco take several bites of his sandwich and wash them down with some pumpkin juice, Ginny's appetite got the better of her and she did the same.

"Feel better?" Draco asked in a tone Ginny found infuriatingly patronizing.

"I will once you start talking," she snapped back at him. "I want to know more about Harry Potter and why I found him tied up and beaten in _your_ carriage house."

Draco took a moment to answer and then he explained, "At Hogwarts, Potter was a spoiled, arrogant, publicity-seeking ass, who had a habit of sticking his nose where it didn't belong. He flaunted his ability to break the rules and get away with whatever he wanted, especially since he had the headmaster and nearly every professor in the school bending over backward to look the other way no matter what he did. Even back then, he acted like he thought he was God's gift to the Wizarding world."

Draco paused for a moment and then continued as if he found his next words painful to speak. "Potter happened to be instrumental in the Dark Lord's defeat, which has fueled his overinflated ego all the more.

"After the war, he helped the new Ministry send many of the Dark Lord's surviving supporters to prison, which explains why most of the people who now call themselves Death Eaters want him punished; they blame Potter for what happened to their Death Eater fathers."

"But didn't these Death Eaters deserve to go to prison?" Ginny asked, trying to understand how Harry Potter fit into this story if he was supposed to be so horrible, inflated ego or not. Draco gave her a hard look and then it dawned on her from where Draco's animosity toward Harry likely stemmed. "You told me that your father had been involved with the Death Eaters..."

"Potter testified against him at his trial," Draco affirmed, with a bitter tone in his voice, "and then used his influence with the Minister of Magic to ensure he received a life sentence; thanks to Potter, my father will never be given the chance for a parole."

"But why would he ask for something so extreme?" Ginny asked. "Unless… was your father a Death Eater?"

"Yes," Draco answered shortly.

"But," Ginny stated accusingly, "before you made is sound like he was just—"

"It's not something I'm proud of, okay!" Draco interrupted heatedly. "During his trial, Father swore he regretted what he had done. He begged for leniency and mercy and to be given a chance to turn his life around. There were other Death Eaters who didn't get life sentences, even though some of them committed far worse crimes than my father! I know that Potter asked the Minister for leniency on behalf of others at their trial. But he hates me and he hates my father, so he saw to it that my father will rot in that hellhole until he dies!"

"I am sorry, Draco," Ginny replied carefully and with sympathetically. "However, I still don't think—"

Draco looked Ginny in the eyes and she could tell how painful his father's fate was for him to bear. "You have no idea what that did… what it is still doing to my mother, knowing he'll spend the rest of his life in that stinking place… knowing that he'll never be back."

"I'm sure it's been very difficult for the both of you," Ginny replied calmly. "But, it does not give you and those other men an excuse to tie someone up and then beat and torture him."

"I already told you! I didn't beat Potter!" Draco defended, getting up from his chair to pace before her. "Although I thought I'd want to if I had the chance and they all expected me to. I can't stand the self-righteous bastard and I… tried, but I couldn't do it. Hell, I only found out they brought Potter into my carriage house after we came in from the garden last night. I wasn't expecting them to find a way to carry out their plans against him before I—"

Draco halted abruptly and Ginny waited for him to continue but it became apparent that he was not going to explain whatever it was that he did not have the time to do.

Finally, Ginny said, "I still don't see how it all fits together."

If the Death Eaters took Harry to Malfoy Manor and they expected Draco to join them in doling out his 'punishment', did that not mean that Draco was one of them, just like his father had been one of the original Death Eaters? But if Draco was a Death Eater, why had he saved her life the night they tried to kill her?

Thinking it best to hold off on those questions for the moment, Ginny settled on asking, "So then, if Harry Potter is not leading the Death Eaters, who is and why are they, and Harry, both out to kill me?"

"I never said Potter was out to kill you," Draco corrected.

Ginny frowned again, her confusion mounting, "But you told me—" She searched her mind, trying to recall exactly what Draco had said about Harry Potter.

"I told you that some people have claimed that Potter's unstable, and they have questioned what he may be capable of," Draco said. "I could easily dig up quite a few books or old articles from the _Daily Prophet_ written on the subject."

Before Ginny could ask another question, Draco went on, "As for the identity of the Death Eaters' leader, no one knows who he is. He always wears a mask; a gold mask. And he's the one who wants to kill you. The others are following his orders because he promised to provide them a way to even their score with Potter. But what I told you before is true. What happened to you _is_ all because of Potter."

"I still don't understand." As far as Ginny was concerned, Draco wasn't providing answers but rather, he was raising even more questions in her mind.

Draco ran a hand through his blond hair, took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "It's important that you listen to everything before you, ah… get too angry at me."

"Okay…" Ginny replied wondering why whatever she was about to hear would anger her.

"And I need you to keep a few things in mind as I explain everything to you," he said locking his eyes with hers.

The intensity of his gaze was making Ginny uncomfortable, and when she tried to look away from him, Draco placed a finger under her chin, turning her face back toward him.

He gathered her hands into his and said with quiet sincerity, "Everything I've ever said to you has been the truth, and even in the beginning, it was _never_ my intention for anything to happen to _you_. Since the night I caught you and kept you from falling into the sea, I honestly have been—"

But that was as far as Draco got.

xxxxxxxxxx

The only thing Harry wanted to do was pull the pillow over his head and go back to sleep. He had a pounding headache, every muscle in his body ached and his back burned like he had stayed out in the sun way too long. As his mind swam upward from the deep pool of sleep, he tried recalling whether it was the weekend or whether he would have to drag himself out of bed to get ready for work.

Cracking one eye open to peek at the clock on his nightstand, he immediately knew something was wrong. Not only was the light streaming into the bedroom much too bright for it to be early morning, but with the sunshine hitting it, the bedroom wall was jarringly bright white and not the soothing light blue Ginny had selected months ago for their bedroom. Robin's-egg-blue he thought he remembered her calling it…

Thinking of Ginny had the same effect as being doused with a bucket of ice cold water. Harry jerked his head up off the pillow to look around frantically, setting off both an intense fire across his back and a throbbing in his head. Where was he? The last thing he remembered, he was hanging, beaten and helpless, in Malfoy's carriage house and Malfoy had refused his plea to save Ginny.

Everything was out of focus, and Harry felt a moment of panic. He didn't know how he was going to figure out where he was, let alone defend himself and help Ginny if he could not see properly. Squinting, he stiffly eased himself closer to the side of the bed toward the nightstand, feeling along its smooth, wooden top with his hand. He touched a pile of soft cloth and knocked over a bottle, then, to his immense relief, he felt the familiar form of his glasses.

Harry put them on and took a quick look around. There were two paned windows with white lace curtains on one side of the room and the one door of the relatively large bedroom was closed. He pushed himself up on his elbows further, although the movement sent more pain shooting across his back and along the muscles in his arms.

The room also contained a wide cherry-wood dresser with a tri-fold mirror, an oversized wardrobe and the wide-planked wood floor was partially covered by an expensive oriental rug. He was certain of one thing; he had never been in this room before in his life.

Gingerly forcing himself into a sitting position, he placed his legs carefully over the side of the bed. He remained motionless for a moment to let a wave of dizziness and nausea pass and realized that, while his back was still quite painful, the pain was not as intense as it had been in the carriage house. Looking down at his bare chest, he saw that the marks left by the whip were already starting to heal. The bottle of Dittany he'd knocked over had done its work well, but he could not imagine who had rescued him from the carriage house and then tended to his injuries; he thought it unlikely that Malfoy had had a change of heart.

Using the nightstand for support, Harry carefully tested the ability of his legs to bear his weight. It took several minutes to get himself to a standing position without feeling that he might fall over, and then he moved slowly toward the window to take a look outside. The room he was in was located on the second floor of a rather large house with a magnificent view of the ocean. The scene through the window was reminiscent of that from Shell Cottage, but the exact location was not one that was familiar to him.

Harry turned back to the room, now starting to feel anxious. He had to find a way to contact his team a soon as possible and send Aurors out to Malfoy Manor. Since Golden Mask had put a lot of effort into capturing both Ginny and him, Harry prayed that the man's desire for revenge was strong enough to buy him time; he had to hope the Death Eater would not decide to kill Ginny before the man found another opportunity to force him to witness the deed.

Harry saw his trainers on the floor beside the bed, but quickly decided not to expend the time and what little energy he had attempting to bend over to put them on. Instead, he quietly opened the bedroom door and stepped out into a hallway, not particularly caring whether his half-clothed state would offend the occupants of the house or not.

To his right, the hall led to more rooms and to his left there was a stairway leading to the lower floor of the house. Harry stood quietly for a moment and he heard the muffled voices of a man and a woman floating up from below.

Although he could not make out the couple's words, their voices grew louder as he silently descended the stairs. Harry had just placed a bare foot on the last step when he could finally hear the woman's voice clearly.

"I still don't understand."

Harry's heart leapt to his throat, for there was no mistaking that the voice was Ginny's! He was about to take another step when he heard the man's response.

"It's important that you listen to everything before you, ah… get too angry at me."

"Okay."

Ginny was talking to _Malfoy_?

The memory of their kiss in the garden and the taunt Malfoy had thrown at him afterward tore viciously though Harry's mind as he stepped through the doorway.

Malfoy might not be the mastermind behind everything that had happened, but he had quite obviously been involved in Ginny's abduction and then done heaven knew what to her, even possibly taking her into his bed. And now he had found Malfoy with her, caressing her face and holding her hand…

Seeing Draco's hands on Ginny ignited Harry's rage like a lit fuse detonating a room full of dynamite. The violent monster roared to life within Harry's chest that made its reaction to seeing Ginny with Dean Thomas years before at Hogwarts seem as meek and mild as a newborn kitten.

"Everything I've ever said to you has been the truth, and even in the beginning, it was _never_ my intention for anything to happen to you. Since the night I caught you and kept you from falling into the sea, I honestly have been—"

Neither one of them heard Harry enter the room.

"_Get away from her!"_ Harry snarled, and before either Ginny or Draco could react, Harry launched himself straight at Draco.

Between his fury and the adrenaline suddenly pumping throughout his body, Harry no longer felt the pain in his muscles or across his back; his focus was solely on Malfoy. The impact of their bodies knocked Draco out of his chair, and when the two landed on the polished tile floor with Harry on top of Draco, their momentum carried them several feet across the room.

"_No! Get off m—"_ Draco cried out in both fear and surprise, but Harry's right fist connected with his jaw, cutting him off in mid sentence.

"_You're DEAD, Malfoy!"_ Harry raged, bringing his left fist back and ferociously slamming it into Draco's face.

"_I saved her!"_ Draco cried out in defense as he tried to throw Harry off of him with no luck.

"_You took her!" _Harry grabbed the front of Draco's shirt in his fist, glaring murderously down at him, "_That was the biggest mistake of your life!" _

Harry pulled his arm back and, wham! He struck Draco hard in the face again and there was the definite sound of his nose breaking under Harry's blow. Draco yelled in pain and, giving up his effort to push Harry off of him, he brought his hands up to his face to protect himself against Harry's battering assault.

When Harry tackled Draco, Ginny was knocked backward in her chair and Harry's wand flew out of her hand when she hit the floor. Her shock from Harry's sudden appearance turned immediately to horror when she realized that she had forgotten to secure the chain around his ankle before she left him upstairs.

She looked around frantically for the wand she had dropped and, seeing that it had landed clear across the room, she quickly scrambled to retrieve it.

"_Get off him!" _ Ginny screamed at Harry and shot off a stunning curse at him.

She was shaking so badly that the curse just grazed past Harry's shoulder, and when he turned quickly in her direction to see who threatened him from behind, Ginny found herself looking into the deepest emerald-green eyes she thought she might ever see —and the most deadly.

Harry had pulled his arm back, intent on punching Malfoy again when he felt the heat of a curse fly past his shoulder. He turned, prepared to take on this new threat, but froze when he saw Ginny pointing his own wand straight at him.

"Ginny?" Harry queried uncertainly, his thoughts and emotions suddenly becoming a confused and jumbled mess. Why was Ginny aiming a wand at him? And why was she looking at him like she was terrified he would attack her the very next chance he had?

He was unable to dwell on these questions long, because Ginny's distraction provided Draco with the opportunity he needed to swing his arm around and land a hard punch to the side of Harry's head. Caught off guard, Harry fell sideways just enough for Draco to roll out from under him and scramble backward, out of Harry's reach.

Harry's adrenaline rush evaporated the moment that he saw Ginny, and the pain from his injuries descended upon him like a heavy fiery blanket. Pain had returned to blaze across his back in full force and the trickles of warm blood he felt running down his back made it apparent that his attack on Malfoy had opened many of his wounds afresh. Harry grit his teeth from the pain and forced his leaden limbs to work together, rising shakily to his knees and then to his feet.

His eyes locked on Ginny as he stood up, trying to catch his breath, and he drank in every facet of the woman standing before him; the wild disarray of her red, silky hair that framed her beautiful face, the curves of her slight feminine figure made tastefully evident by the sweater and jeans, her firm breasts heaving as she took quick steady breaths, and her deep brown eyes that never failed to captivate him and had so often taken him to a world where they were the only two beings in existence…

But the eyes he was looking into at this moment were not glowing with the blazing look that had ensnared his heart and had so often spoken of promise, passion, trust and love. The eyes he was looking into now registered what could only be described as fear.

"It's okay, Ginny, you're safe now." Harry smiled uncertainly, not understanding why she would be looking at him in such a manner. He held his hand out to her tentatively, his smile broadening as he took a cautious step toward her. "God, I can hardly believe—"

"_Stupefy!"_ Ginny's curse hit Harry square in the chest and he reeled backwards against the wall, leaving behind streaks of blood as he slid to the floor.

"Are you okay?" She dropped to her knees in front of Draco, trying to move his hands out of the way to survey the damage to his face.

"No, I'm not okay! Ow!" Draco snapped, slapping her hand away.

"Don't be such a baby," she admonished. "But I do think your nose is broken."

"You think?"

"Come on," she said, taking him by the arm, "let me help you over to the window so I can get a better look at it."

Harry watched their exchange with complete astonishment from his vantage point on the floor, trying to recover as much from the shock of Ginny's unexpected curse, as from the new firestorm of agony shooting across his back as a result from his impact with the wall.

"_Help _him?" Harry questioned hoarsely, painfully pushing himself up into a sitting position.

Ginny gasped in alarm and quickly trained her wand on Harry again. She had hit him with a stunning curse that should have rendered him unconscious, at least for a little while.

"You're using his wand," Draco said, holding his broken nose carefully with his free hand in an unsuccessful attempt to staunch the blood flowing freely from it. "There's something funny about it; I don't think it works properly against him."

Then, pulling his own wand from his pocket, Draco glared across the room at Harry, "But mine will."

Draco kept both his eyes and wand trained on Harry as Ginny helped him over to the window, but Harry made no attempt to move; he was still trying to make sense of Ginny's reaction towards him and her uncharacteristic protectiveness of Malfoy.

Assured Draco had Harry covered, Ginny turned her attention back to Draco's nose, "Yes, definitely broken. Here," she pointed Harry's wand at him, _"Episkey!"_

"Ow!" Draco cried again as the bones in his nose immediately healed. Then he looked at Ginny accusingly through watery eyes, "Why'd you unchain him?"

"I had to! It was the only way I could clean the wounds on his back," Ginny defended. "I guess I forgot to put the chain back on him before I came down."

Harry stared at Ginny in disbelief; she not only seemed to have no problem with the idea of restraining him with chains, but she was practically apologizing to Malfoy for forgetting to do so herself.

"What have you done to her, Malfoy?" Harry demanded furiously. "Remove the curse! Or give her the antidote to whatever you've given her or—"

"Or what, Potter?" Draco snapped back. "It doesn't look to me like you're in the position to make threats!"

"What's he talking about, Draco?" Ginny asked, glancing back and forth between the two men who were glaring at each other with pure hatred.

"I haven't put a curse on her," Draco replied curtly, "nor have I given her anything requiring an antidote."

"There has to be some explanation for why she hasn't hexed you to bits for kissing her!" Harry insisted angrily. "And for why she's acting like she doesn't know me!"

"She _doesn't_ know you," Draco replied harshly.

"_What?"_ Harry snapped in disbelief. "That doesn't make—"

"I don't _remember _you," Ginny interrupted, drawing Harry's questioning gaze to her. "I don't remember anything about myself or my life before I woke up after the Death Eaters attacked."

It took Harry a moment to process her words which at least partially explained her reaction towards him. "But you remember the attack at Bill and Fleur's cottage?"

"No. Draco told me that I was attending a party at my brother's place," Ginny answered, continuing to watch him cautiously and noticing that his eyes softened dramatically when he looked at her. "I was near a cliff when they attacked and Draco caught me when I fell. I was unconscious for several weeks, and when I awoke, I had no memory of my past."

As Harry sat on the floor looking up into Ginny's eyes, his felt his heart twist painfully within his chest, for he realized that not only did she not recognize him, she remained quite obviously frightened of him.

Unsure of what to say or do to ease Ginny's fear and to give himself time to collect is thoughts, Harry took a deep breath and unsteadily moved to stand up from where he had remained seated on the floor. To his dismay, not only did Draco suddenly tense and raise his wand towards him, Ginny did as well.

It was obvious to Ginny how painful it was for Harry to move and how much the effort was costing him. By the way his legs trembled, she half expected him to fall back to the floor and, strangely, she found herself having to resist a sudden urge to rush to his aid.

Finally standing on both feet, Harry placed a shaking hand on the wall to steady himself and closed his eyes, taking slow, even breaths. His attack on Malfoy had sapped nearly all of his energy and he was trying very hard to keep himself from falling or passing out.

When at last Harry's eyes opened, Ginny found them glued on her and she shifted uncomfortably under the hurt and confusion she read within their green depths. Why did she suddenly feel that she would much rather see them shining with happiness instead?

Their eyes had locked for only a few brief seconds before Harry turned his attention to Draco and his expression hardened immediately.

Harry wanted nothing more than to feel the crunch of Draco's nose breaking under his fist again, but he wasn't about to go after the blond bastard while there was the possibility Ginny could get caught in the middle. Doing so certainly would not help to ease her fear of him, nor, he had to admit, was he in any shape to launch another attack on Malfoy, anyway.

"How much have you actually told her about what really happened that night, Malfoy?" Harry addressed Draco coolly. "Or have you been feeding her a bunch of lies?"

Malfoy must have given Ginny some kind of false story; why else would his presence frighten her to the point that she would agree to put him in chains and try to stun him?

When Draco did not respond, Harry continued, "Have you explained _why_ we were at Bill's and how you just happened to be conveniently there to catch her when she fell?"

Draco narrowed his eyes at Harry, "Everything I've told her has been the truth."

"Really?" Harry scoffed skeptically and he turned his attention back to Ginny, his expression again softening.

"Did he tell you that the 'party' was our rehearsal?"

"R-rehearsal…?" Ginny stuttered in confusion.

Harry's eyes flicked momentarily back to Draco and Ginny knew that if looks could kill, the blond man would have keeled over dead right then and there.

"Our _wedding_ rehearsal," Harry affirmed. "We were going to be married the following day at your brother's cottage."

"We were _engaged_?" Ginny gasped, her jaw dropping in stunned disbelief.

Ginny thought back to all of the horrible things Draco had told her about Harry, things he swore were the truth. He did tell her that she and Harry once dated, but had she truly been in love with him enough to want to marry him? Obviously there was much more to their relationship than Draco had let on, but why had he essentially lied to her by omission? Had he done the same about other things?

But even if Draco had lied about her true relationship with Harry Potter, that still did not explain her nightmares. With Harry standing directly before her, Ginny was convinced that he was connected to her frightening dreams; although, it was more of a feeling she had, rather than a concrete memory of him. It was entirely possible that he was the black-haired man who tortured her nearly every night after she closed her eyes. But if Harry had done horrible things to her, why on earth would she ever have consented to marry him? Had he somehow forced her into it?

"We _are_ engaged," Harry corrected. Then glaring angrily at Draco, he added, "And he still took advantage of your situation."

"Is it true?" Ginny looked questioningly at Draco, "Was I going to marry him?"

Draco looked down at the floor for a moment and he finally acknowledged, "Yeah, you were."

"Why didn't you tell me _that_?" Ginny demanded hotly and Harry could not help feeling somewhat smug; her infamous Weasley temper was starting to rise and he was looking forward to watching bat bogies fly out of the git's newly mended nose.

"Because if I told you," Draco replied smoothly, "you'd want to go back. To keep you safe from the Death Eaters, I could not let anyone know you were alive."

"To keep her safe from Death Eaters?" Harry snapped incredulously before Ginny could say a word.

"It was more than you were able to do that night, Potter!" Draco shot back.

"_You're _one of them!" Harry countered, not letting on how close to its mark Malfoy's retort had actually hit. "You were there that night because you came with the Death Eaters who attacked us! And you've been working with the man in the gold mask all along! I have a witness who saw you meeting with some of his followers and Silas Adelcomb in the Dark Specter months before the attack." Draco's jaw slackened in surprise at Harry's revelation that he knew about that particular meeting, but Harry barely noticed; his anger was mounting again with each accusation he threw at Malfoy.

"Golden Mask asked you to enlist Adelcomb's help with breaking through the wards at Bill Weasley's cottage, didn't he? Then, once he was no longer useful, you had no problem allowing an old family friend to be murdered to keep him quiet! You had no problem with his attempt to kill Hermione and you told him which park I started taking Teddy to so he could go after my godson; obviously you're not even concerned about what he might do to a three-year-old boy! It was Malfoy Manor they brought me to, the same place where you have been holding Ginny all along so he could get his revenge by killing her in front of me! So don't go claiming you saved her as if you had nothing to do with the attack that night because you and I both know it's a load of—"

Before Ginny could even begin to process all of the accusations Harry had leveled against Draco, Harry's knees suddenly buckled and he stumbled forward. He reached out to grab a hold of one of the dining room chairs to keep himself from falling, but the chair was too far away from him. Without thinking about what she was doing, Ginny rushed to his side, pushing the chair toward him as she moved. Harry grabbed onto the chair as Ginny threw her arm around his waist to help steady.

"You'd better sit down," Ginny said, grunting slightly under Harry's weight as she helped him into the chair.

Harry might feel like he was about to pass out, but that did not keep his heart from starting to pound heavily when he felt Ginny's arm go around him as her floral scent teased his senses. Then, all too soon, she released him and stepped away, putting a safe distance between them again.

"Thanks," he said hoarsely, his eyes remaining locked on her.

"Your, um, back is bleeding again," Ginny said, somewhat shakily indicating the fresh blood on the sleeve of her sweater. "I'd better go up and get the Dittany." She grasped at the chance to get away from both Draco and Harry so she could be alone and think more clearly about everything she had just heard.

Ginny turned quickly to leave the room but stopped suddenly to look back at them. Her voice was much steadier when she commanded, "You," she pointed at Draco, "will not curse or hex him while I'm gone. And you," Ginny then pointed warningly at Harry, "are not to move out of that chair."

Taking their reluctant nods as agreement, Ginny marched out of the room, but once she was out of their sight, her bravado crumbled.

She was engaged to Harry Potter! Something Draco had blatantly failed to mention. And Harry had made some truly horrible accusations against Draco. Was Draco involved in the murder of a family friend, as well as the attempted murder of whoever Hermione was? Was he actually willing to participate in plans to hurt a child and had he planned to eventually turn her over to the Death Eaters so they could kill her?

According to Harry, Draco was a Death Eater. Draco could be arrogant and infuriating, but she had placed her trust in him up to this point because he had saved her life. But the Death Eaters did take Harry to Malfoy Manor and she could not deny it _was_ a strange coincidence that Draco just happened to be out flying on his broom at the same time and place as the attack. Although, if Draco was a Death Eater, why, then, did he save her from the others during the first attack as well as the previous night? He had also saved Harry; albeit reluctantly, but he had taken them both to safety.

Ginny reached the bedroom Harry had been in and she sat down wearily on the bed.

She could not forget about Martha Pondergrass's murder, either. Hadn't she convinced herself that it was Harry who likely killed the nurse?

Ginny rubbed her temples, trying to ease her tension and confusion. Truth be told, she had not been presented with any proof that Harry had murdered the woman; she had jumped to that conclusion all by herself based on what Draco had told her about Harry, even after she discovered that he was an Auror; maybe he was innocent of the deed.

There were also the nightmares, Ginny reminded herself. She was certain there was a connection between Harry and her frightening dreams; she just could not put her finger on what the connection was. Everything was definitely starting to make less and less sense.

When Ginny left the room, Harry remained seated at the table and Draco moved to the opposite side of the room where he leaned casually against the windowsill with his arms crossed. They both continued to eye each other coldly, although Harry could not see why Draco felt the need to watch him so closely; Draco was the one with a wand.

"If you claim you didn't cause it," Harry said suddenly, feeling gratified when Draco started at the sound of his voice, "what's your explanation for why Ginny's lost her memory?"

"No idea," Draco stated flatly. "It might be from the curse he used to knock her off the cliff. Or from the trauma of what happened that night. At least that's what the nurse thought—"

Draco halted abruptly and Harry narrowed his eyes at him speculatively. "The woman we found stabbed the other day was a nurse. She sent me an owl that said she had information about the people who hurt Ginny. When we found her, she was barely alive, but before she died, she insisted I had to save someone; I assumed she meant Ginny. You hired her, didn't you?"

"Before your doubtfully brilliant Auror mind jumps to the wrong conclusion, Potter, I had nothing to do with her murder," Draco stated. "And I don't know who killed her, either." Then figuring there was no point in denying it now, Draco answered Harry's question, "But I did hire her. When several weeks went by and Ginny didn't wake up, I thought I'd better find someone to help."

"Why didn't you take her to Saint Mungo's?" Harry demanded. If Draco had, then maybe Ginny's memory would have already returned.

"It's like I said," Draco drawled. "I didn't want anyone to know she was alive. She would have been in more danger if the others found out."

"You mean that you'd be in danger," Harry accused. "You were thinking of your own skin, just like you always have."

Draco's gray eyes met Harry's coolly, but then he said, "Sure, it would have been dangerous for me, too."

"Why'd you save her then?" Harry asked curiously. He was exceedingly thankful that Draco had but he was not about to admit it aloud. "Couldn't get a decent woman of your own so you figured to use the opportunity to take mine?"

Draco's face reddened and Harry taunted further, "Truth hurts, eh, Malfoy?"

While Harry tried to portray amusement from Draco's reaction, in truth, he quickly wished he hadn't said anything because his own words felt like they came back to slam him hard in the stomach. He hated the reminder that Draco may have been with Ginny; in fact, the thought made him feel quite sick.

Draco managed to arrange his expression back into one of cool indifference. Shrugging casually he replied, "Considering all of the women who have no doubt been falling all over themselves to lift their skirts for the Savior of the Wizarding World, I naturally assumed you'd select the most, shall I say… entertaining, to marry."

Then Draco gave him a cocky wink, "I'm sure you can understand my pleasure to find how correct my assumption was. I just never figured she'd turn out to be a Weasley."

It was Harry's turn to redden with anger, and he started to rise out of his chair.

"Tsk, tsk," Draco brought up his wand. "Do you really think that's a smart thing to do, Potter? After all, the lady did tell us to behave."

He smiled haughtily at Harry for a moment and then he said, "The truth is, I didn't know he planned to kill anyone in the attack."

"Yeah, right," Harry scoffed, still wanting nothing more than to jump across the table and beat on Draco some more.

"I didn't!" Draco insisted. "As far as I knew, he was leading us there to rough everyone up, especially you. I thought the goal was to put _you_ in Saint Mungo's for a long while. Given it was the day before your wedding, it made the timing all the better. I also didn't know about the attack on Granger, or is it Weasley, now? Whatever. The fact is, I knew nothing about that, either, until after it happened."

"And Teddy?" Harry eyed Draco skeptically. "He's just a kid! You obviously found out from your mother or Andromeda where I had taken him and then told Golden Mask without thinking or caring about what might happen to him!"

This time Draco had the decency to shift uncomfortably and drop his gaze from Harry's. "I told him a few weeks ago about the park. I was supposed to let him know when you'd be going there again." Then he looked back at Harry, "I did know that you took the kid there yesterday, but you heard him yourself! I never told him…"

Although Draco was acting somewhat remorseful, at least regarding Teddy, Harry still did not believe he was as innocent as he claimed.

"And as far as saving Ginny," Draco continued, "I… just reacted when I saw her fall. I caught her and then I Apparated with her to my home before anyone could see what I'd done. He thought she'd died that night until he learned the truth just a few weeks ago."

"Golden Mask's not the forgiving sort," Harry stated, and then continued heatedly, "so when he did find out that you saved her, you offered to turn her over to him to appease him, didn't you?"

"I never intended for him to know she was with me!" Draco shot back, although Harry's accusation was very close to the truth.

"But once he did, you obviously didn't try to get Ginny away from him!" Harry snapped. "How can you claim you wanted to keep her safe? Didn't it cross your mind what he'd do once he knew about her? God, Malfoy! Are you really that thick? He already tried to kill her once!"

"I got her out of there, didn't I?" Draco replied defensively, placing both hands on the table and glowering across it at Harry. "And I saved your arse to boot, if you didn't notice!"

Harry looked away from him, unwilling to acknowledge that particular point.

Silence reigned in the room again until they heard Ginny's footsteps coming back.

Ginny had heard their angry voices while she was upstairs, but when she walked into the room, they both seemed content to merely glower daggers at each other.

She pulled a chair up beside Harry and said with a formal tone, "Please turn around so I can apply the Dittany."

Harry stiffly obeyed and Ginny winced for him; the deepest of the wounds had been completely torn open, and she could only imagine how painful even the slightest movement had to be for him. She hoped he would be able to bear the reapplication of the Dittany since he was conscious this time.

"Try not to move," she said quietly. "This is going to hurt a bit."

"I know," Harry acknowledged. "Go ahead."

Ginny soaked a square of soft cloth with Dittany and, as gently as she possibly could, she dabbed the healing liquid into the worst of the bloody wounds. Ginny heard Harry's sharp intake of breath and he clenched his hand resting on the table into a tight fist, but other than that, he made no other movement or sound.

Draco watched Ginny's careful and tender ministrations disdainfully until he finally turned abruptly to leave the room.

"Where are you going?" Ginny asked anxiously. Until she had a clearer understanding of the facts behind her circumstances, she certainly did not like the idea of being left alone with Harry.

"To check on the fire," Draco answered curtly as he walked through the doorway, which Ginny thought was more of an excuse than a reason to leave.

Ginny's obvious apprehension of being alone with him cut through Harry's heart like a knife. What had Malfoy told her to make her fear him to such an extent?

"There's no reason to be afraid of me, Ginny," Harry said quietly, looking back over his shoulder and fighting to keep his voice steady.

"I'm not afraid of you!" Ginny replied emphatically.

"No?" He responded, looking forward again. "Then why didn't you want Malfoy to leave you alone in here with me?"

"It's just that I…"

I'm petrified of you, she finished in her mind.

"I'd never hurt you," Harry said in the same quiet voice. "But since you can't remember me, I guess you have no reason to believe me, do you?"

He sounded both tired and defeated.

"You came raging into the room, you brutally attacked Draco and you threatened to kill him! You broke his nose!" Ginny answered. Then remembering the deadly expression in his eyes when he turned on her, she shivered and added, "What am I supposed to think?"

"I said I'd never hurt _you_," Harry answered evenly. "Malfoy is another matter. Actually, if you did have your memory back, I'd likely be the one defending him against you… then again, maybe I wouldn't."

Harry found her concern for Malfoy extremely irritating, to say the least and, as she continued to dab the Dittany into his wounds, he was struck by a horrible thought; a thought that was nearly too horrendous for him to even contemplate. Was it possible that Ginny had come to fancy Malfoy in the brief time she had been with him?

He had witnessed their kiss in the garden first hand. Malfoy as much as said they had been together. Harry desperately wanted to believe it had only been Malfoy's attempt to taunt him. But if it was true and if Malfoy had not used a magical means to get what he wanted from her… he knew Ginny would never willingly allow someone to touch her unless…

The bile churned sickeningly in Harry's stomach. With her dying breath, Martha Pondergrass had given him the first ray of hope he had felt since he had reluctantly abandoned his search for Ginny weeks after the attack. Not only had he allowed himself to believe the nurse's words meant that Ginny was alive, but that he would find her and then they would resume their lives— together.

Was his hope for that future now pinned on Ginny getting her memory back and remembering what Draco truly was? And what he, Harry, had meant to her?

"Can you tell me about my family?" Ginny asked, bringing Harry out of his tormenting thoughts.

"I assume," she continued carefully, "since we were, um, you know…"

Harry closed his eyes, and took a deep breath; she wouldn't even acknowledge their engagement aloud.

"Well, I assume that you know them and can tell me something about them."

Ginny had finished applying the Dittany and she moved to a safer distance on the other side of the table from him.

"Er, sure," he replied, taking some solace that she at least wanted him to talk to her. "You have a pretty big family…"

"I know. Draco was able to tell me that much."

Harry hated even hearing Malfoy's name on her lips, but he forced back the growing wave of jealousy.

"Well, you have or, er had, six brothers, all of them older than you, so you're the youngest."

Harry mentally groaned. Why did he add that? Of course she was the youngest, if all of her brothers were older. Why was he feeling so nervous just to be talking to her now?

"What do you mean I _had_ six brothers?" Ginny asked. "Did something happen to some of them?"

Harry did not want to have to drag up the sad memory of Fred's death right away, but if she wanted to learn about her family, he'd have to tell her the good along with the bad.

"Fred was killed in the Battle of Hogwarts." Ginny frowned slightly, and Harry added quickly, "But that's a story for another time. George is Fred's twin and he's three years older than you. Together, those two were really something. They were always pulling jokes and pranks and stuff. I learned pretty early not to turn my back on either of them since no one was really safe when they were around, either from one of their jokes or as a test subject for some new kind of joke product they'd come up with. But, I have to say that for all their pranks, if you needed help, they'd be among the first to be there for you. They ended up leaving school early and starting up a joke shop in Diagon Alley…"

As he spoke, it became obvious how much her family meant to Harry as he described each of her brothers one by one: Bill, the oldest who worked at the Wizarding bank, Gringotts, and had a daughter, Victoire with his wife Fleur, who was part Veela; Charlie who lived in Romania and worked with dragons there; Percy, on the pompous side and clearly Harry's least favorite of all her brothers; and Ron, his best mate since they started at Hogwarts together, who was married to his other best friend, Hermione, the girl the Death Eaters had nearly murdered.

Ginny hoped that something Harry told her would trigger even the slightest memory, but she was soon caught up in watching his eyes more than concentrating on his words; she found herself easily becoming mesmerized by the way they caught the light streaming through the window so that they sparkled various shades of green, like a perfect rare emerald behind his glasses. One did not usually describe a man's eyes as beautiful, but between their deep color and dark-lashed almond shape, Ginny thought that Harry's truly were.

"And then there's your mum, who's probably the best cook in the whole world, and your dad –he's completely fascinated with anything and everything having to do with Muggles." Harry chuckled slightly as he continued, "I've kind of suspected that's why he's always liked Hermione and me so much; Hermione is Muggle-born and I was raised by Muggles until I went to Hogwarts, so we're able to explain a lot of things to him."

"You were raised by Muggles, yet you are not Muggle-born?" Ginny asked curiously.

A shadow passed over Harry's face as he answered, "No, my dad was pureblood and my mother was Muggle-born, but they both, er… died when I was a little over a year old. I was raised by my mum's sister and her husband." The tone of Harry's voice made it obvious that this was not a topic he wanted to discuss further.

"But," he continued, shaking off the unhappiness from this part of his life, "I can't even begin to tell you how much it's going to mean to everyone when they find out you're alive. I hope you won't feel too overwhelmed when you see everyone again."

"I doubt it," Ginny replied. "The way you describe my family makes them all sound so wonderful –almost perfect."

Harry looked at her with the first genuine smile she had seen on his face and Ginny's heart immediately quickened its pace while her stomach performed a little flip. Merlin help her, but he was even more attractive when he smiled!

"I guess, as far as I'm concerned, they pretty much are," he replied.

"And what about me?" Ginny asked.

Holding her gaze, Harry answered with all sincerity, "Ever since I finally came to my senses back at Hogwarts, I've thought that you pretty much are, too."

"What do you—" At first Ginny didn't understand his answer, but when she realized how he had interpreted her question, her face quickly flamed with embarrassment.

"Oh! Um, no… that's not what I, uh…" He was watching her too intently and she did not want to meet his eyes. It also did not help that his reference to Hogwarts brought to mind what Draco told her had happened to his ex-girlfriend's boyfriend.

"I meant, what can you tell me about me?" she finally clarified. "Like what did I do? I assume I had a job?"

"Malfoy didn't even tell you that much?" Harry asked frowning, seeming somewhat surprised by her question.

"Um, no." The truth was, she had broached the subject with Draco a few times, but he always managed to change the subject.

"Well, for nearly the past two years you've played professional Quidditch for the Holyhead Harpies."

It was Ginny's turn to look surprised, "I'm a professional Quidditch player?"

"You sure are," Harry affirmed, sounding very proud. "And a right good one, too. Your first season, you made alternate Chaser, but halfway through, one of the starters was injured and you took her spot. The position's been yours ever since. I think you're even becoming more famous for Quidditch than you are for—"

"Than I am for what?" Ginny prompted, after Harry halted his explanation abruptly.

"Er, nothing," Harry replied, uncomfortably. No matter how he finished that sentence, he would either sound like the cockiest bloke on the planet or he'd have to start explaining a lot more about his past than he wanted to get into with her at the moment.

"Family history lesson over?" Draco asked coolly as he strode back into the room. Even though Draco's appearance saved Harry from answering Ginny's question, his mood darkened perceptively upon the blond man's entrance.

"For now," Ginny answered, wishing Draco had not selected that moment to come back. Surprisingly, she had been enjoying her talk with Harry and the expression on his face made it clear he was not likely to say much more with Draco present. "I can barely wait to see them."

"Who said you have to wait?" Harry asked. "We need to let everyone know that I've found you, and about your memory, before they see you so it's not as big of a shock, but there's no reason you can't see them even later today."

"Now wait a minute, Potter!" Draco snapped.

"What, Malfoy?" Harry demanded back. "You don't think I'm about to let her stay here with you, do you?"

"I want to see them, Draco," Ginny said firmly. "I want to go back to my family." After so many weeks of feeling alone and wondering where she belonged, Ginny very much wanted to meet and be surrounded by the warm and loving people that Harry had described.

"You heard her," Harry said with a triumphant smirk at Draco.

"What about the Death Eaters?" Draco asked. "They'll expect you to go to your family and you'll all be in danger."

"It's a risk we'll have to take," Ginny answered calmly.

"They won't be a threat for long if I can help it," Harry stated, "because you're going to tell me everything you know about Golden Mask and the other Death Eaters that will help me track them down."

"And just how long do you think I'll survive if I do that?" Draco replied.

"I'm betting a lot longer than if you don't," Harry replied evenly. "Unless you fancy the idea of hiding from Golden Mask for the rest of what would likely be a rather short life."

Draco eyed Harry coldly as Harry added firmly, "Not that I plan to give you a choice. You _are_ going to cooperate." He carefully got to his feet, finding that his back was much less painful since Ginny had reapplied the Dittany and that, even though he was extremely tired, he felt much steadier.

"But for now," he said, addressing Ginny, "I'll settle for getting you away from here; and him."

Ginny was looking at Harry warily again, "I'm not really comfortable going anywhere with you."

"You can't stay with Malfoy," Harry insisted. Her continued mistrust of him hit him like a punch to the stomach, but he could not allow her to stay with Malfoy, who would always put his own safety above hers. "I don't trust him; he could very well turn you over to the Death Eaters again if he thinks it will benefit him."

"Not likely," Draco replied. "As you pointed out, I wouldn't last very long if I met up with them again."

"Draco can take me to see my family," Ginny answered. While Harry had vowed that he would not hurt her, she could not shake the fear that that her nightmares evoked and the feeling that they were connected to him.

Truth be told, she did not feel comfortable going anywhere with Draco either but, at the moment, she was forced to consider him the lesser of two evils. While Draco may have lied to her about many things, she had been with him several months and he had never tried to harm her.

"Sorry. I won't fare much better with your family than I would the Death Eaters," Draco replied. "They don't like me very much and they'd curse first and ask questions later."

"Then take her to Andromeda's," Harry suggested.

"Who?" Ginny questioned.

"Draco's aunt," Harry answered. "His mother is staying there, too, and I know we can trust them. You can't claim you'll be in danger there, Malfoy."

Draco did not seem happy with that suggestion either.

"Your mother and aunt are going to find out about everything eventually," Harry pointed out, correctly guessing the major reason for Draco's concern.

"It does sound like a good solution," Ginny stated, assuming that if they both trusted Andromeda and Draco's mother, then she could as well.

"All right," Draco finally agreed reluctantly.

"Then there's no time like the present," Harry stated. They couldn't leave soon enough in his opinion.

Draco went to extinguish the fire in the fireplace while Ginny cleaned up the remnants of their lunch.

Harry watched her in silence as she waved his wand, sending the plates, cups and napkins flying back into the picnic basket.

"I'll need to get my trainers and do you think you can conjure up a shirt for me or something?" Harry asked Ginny after everything was packed neatly away. "Teddy will be there, too, and he's only three. I don't want him to see what they've done. Between the Death Eaters' first attack and their attempt to kidnap him the other day, I'm worried about how it's all already affecting him."

"Of course, but I can get your trainers," Ginny replied. She summoned his shoes and then aimed the wand at him. "Teddy is your godson?"

"Yeah," Harry affirmed, feeling a loose, white t-shirt settle across his shoulders. Ginny had ensured that it was made of the lightest of fabrics so it did not rub too painfully against his wounds. "He's a great kid and he absolutely adores you. Maybe seeing that you're alive will help ease some of his fear and the nightmares."

After Draco reset the locks and security charms on his mother's cottage, the three of them walked out to the point where they could Apparate. Draco held out his hand to Ginny, and when she took it with seemingly no reservation, Harry was barely able to restrain the monster in his chest that roared its desire to tear Draco's head off.

"Give him his wand," Draco said to Ginny. "He can meet us there." At her questioning look, Draco continued, "He won't try anything around my mother and aunt."

"How do I know that's where you'll actually take her?" Harry demanded, ignoring Malfoy's insinuation.

"Trust me?" Draco smirked.

"Yeah, right," Harry snorted facetiously. "I don't think so."

"He'll take me to the right place," Ginny stated, looking sternly at Draco. "Won't you, Draco."

"Of course," Draco answered curtly. "There isn't any other place to go."

Ginny tossed Harry's wand over to him and then she and Draco were gone.

Harry took a deep breath to pull his emotions under control.

Ginny's willingness to place more trust in Malfoy than in him hurt more deeply than the wounds across his back. Harry had a hard time believing that the Ginny he knew would fancy the likes of Malfoy, but whether she did or not, Ginny was the best thing that he'd ever had in his life.

For some unfathomable reason, his presence frightened her, but having found her after months of believing she had been lost to him forever, he was certainly not about to give her up easily along with everything they had shared; and especially not to the likes of Malfoy. He'd just have to be patient, and if he had to prove to her that she had no reason to fear him, then that was exactly what he was going to do.

Thus, with his resolve strengthened, Harry turned on the spot and Apparated directly to Andromeda's cottage.


	21. Reluctant Confession

Chapter 21: Reluctant Confession

When Harry arrived in the yard of Andromeda's cottage, Malfoy and Ginny were already walking slowly towards the front door several yards ahead of him. Harry watched as Malfoy leaned down slightly to say something quietly in Ginny's ear to which she returned a brief smile.

The creature within Harry's chest snarled irritably.

At the very least he could be thankful for Malfoy's reluctance to accompany Ginny to The Burrow. Assuming she would go to live with her parents, he wouldn't have to worry about the slimy weasel's constant proximity to her.

Draco knocked on the door but opened it and entered before any of the cottage's occupants answered. After a count of several heartbeats, Harry heard surprised cries and then several women's voices all at once.

"_Ginny!_" Harry heard Hermione's joyful shriek. "Oh, my God! Harry was right!"

"Ginny…?" Andromeda's startled voice. "Is it really…?"

Narcissa's shocked questions, "Draco, where did you find her? And look at your face! What happened?"

Harry stopped just outside the door, taking in the scene within the cottage; Ginny seemed to be feeling rather uncomfortable as she patted Hermione tolerantly on the back while Hermione squeezed her in a tearful bear hug. Andromeda looked on, her hand pressed to her mouth in shock, her dark eyes glistening with the start of happy tears, and Narcissa was glancing incredulously between Ginny and her son. It took a few moments before Hermione noticed Harry standing at the door.

"Harry!" Hermione practically screamed his name from sheer surprise and happiness and released her hold on Ginny to run straight towards him.

Before Harry could stop her, Hermione flung her arms around his neck. "I was so afraid we'd never see you again! And you found Ginny! I can hardly believe it!"

The pressure of her arms against his wounds ignited the pain across Harry's shoulders and, still not having regained all of his strength, he quickly grabbed onto the door frame to keep them both from falling over. Hermione stepped back immediately when she heard Harry's pained intake of breath and looked at him worriedly, noting how unsteady he seemed.

"What did they do to you?" Hermione asked, closely examining the multiple cuts and bruises covering his face. It also occurred to her that Harry did not seem as overjoyed as she would expect him to be after finding Ginny alive. "Are you okay?"

"I've been better," Harry replied solemnly, stepping stiffly through the door before she could ask him more questions.

Andromeda and Narcissa were glancing between the three newcomers, too shocked to speak for the moment, while Hermione turned her attention back to Ginny only to frown when the younger girl moved a step toward Draco.

Ginny's apparent preference to be closer to Malfoy was not lost on Harry and, again, he had to fight against his rapidly rising desire to tear Malfoy apart.

Harry cleared his throat, breaking the stilted silence that had descended throughout the room and made the introductions.

"Ginny, this is Andromeda Tonks, Draco's aunt; his mother, Narcissa Malfoy and Hermione Weasley, your sister-in-law. Wait… Hermione, what are you doing here?"

"I came by to see how Teddy is doing, but honestly, Harry," Hermione chastised with a nervous laugh, "She hasn't been gone so long that she's forgotten us. Ginny, tell us, where have you been all this time? And, Harry, what happened after the park and where did you find her?"

Ginny glanced nervously between Draco and Harry, wondering how or where she should begin an explanation, but Harry spoke first.

"Actually, Ginny's lost her memory and she doesn't remember anything about her past… or us."

"She doesn't remember…?" Hermione repeated slowly, and the implication of Harry's words struck her as they both exchanged glances; if Ginny had lost her memory, it would mean that she did not remember Harry, their relationship and, therefore, the fact that they were to be married.

"Oh, my dear," Andromeda said sympathetically, "that must be so difficult for you."

"We aren't sure why," Harry continued, "but I'm hoping once we get Ginny to Saint Mungo's, they'll be able to sort it out and help her regain her memory. As for what happened at the park, the next thing I remember after the Death Eaters found us, I woke up, tied up in the carriage house at Malfoy Manor and—"

"At our home?" Narcissa interrupted completely shocked, and turned toward her son. "Draco, please explain how this can be, since when I last spoke to you, you told me that you were not involved with the people who attacked Harry."

"Yes, Draco," Harry smirked, quirking an eyebrow at Malfoy. "Do explain. From the beginning."

Draco shot Harry an angry look and he shoved his hands into his pockets. "It will take a while and Ginny and I have been awake most of the night. I'd rather discuss it after—"

"I think we'd all like to hear it now," Harry insisted. While he wanted to contact the Auror office, he was not about to miss hearing Draco's recount of what had happened over the past several months; and more importantly, he wanted to be present when Ginny learned the truth.

"I'd rather hear everything now, too," Ginny added. It was about time she had her questions answered.

"Then please, everyone," Andromeda said, "there's no need to stand. Make yourselves comfortable and I'll bring us some tea; it was just about ready before you arrived."

Andromeda hurried into the kitchen, and much to Harry's annoyance, Draco moved toward the couch to sit near his mother, offering Ginny the seat beside him. Harry's scowl deepened, but before he could object, Hermione took his hand into hers to lead him out to the porch and out of ear shot of the others.

"I want to hear about what happened, but I think it's more important that I contact Ron," she said quietly. "He should be here and it might be easier on Ginny to meet at least one person from her family before seeing everyone else all at once."

"Good idea," Harry replied, "I assume he's at the office?"

At her affirmative nod, Harry added wearily, "Ask him to get here as soon as possible, but don't let on why. I don't want anyone in the office doing anything before I get the chance to talk to them. I do want to send some people over to check out Malfoy Manor, although there's probably no rush at his point since I'm sure the Death Eaters have all gone by now."

"I can't believe you've found Ginny!" Hermione said, taking both of his hands into hers and giving them a reassuring squeeze. "But how are you, really, I mean?"

"She doesn't remember me, Hermione," Harry said quietly, bowing his head sadly. "Ginny has no idea who I am."

"I'm so sorry," Hermione said sympathetically. "I'm sure you're right and the healers at Saint Mungo's will find a way to bring her memory back."

"But it's not just her memory…" Harry said. Every time he thought about Ginny's reaction to him, his insides twisted into tight, painful knots that he doubted he could ever find a way to untangle. "She acts like she's _afraid_of me."

"I doubt that it's you Ginny's afraid of," Hermione replied confidently. "This whole situation has to be frightening for her."

"You didn't see the way she was looking at me earlier," Harry said dejectedly. "Granted, the first time she saw me, I tried to beat the life out of Malfoy, but still—"

"That's why the two of you are all bruised up?" Hermione queried. "You got into a fight?"

"Well, mine are from the Death Eaters, not Malfoy," Harry corrected. "When I saw him with Ginny, I kind of lost it and I went after him. I couldn't stop myself. Since Ginny doesn't remember me, she probably thought that I might go after her, too. Who knows what Malfoy's told her, especially if he—"

"If he what?" Hermione prompted, looking worried when he halted abruptly in mid sentence. "What did he do to her?"

"I don't know for certain," Harry replied. "I don't feel like getting into it right now."

"Harry…" Hermione started, sounding quite annoyed with him, but then she suddenly cried out, "Your shoulder is _bleeding_!"

Harry glanced sideways at his left shoulder where he saw a deep red stain of blood seeping through his shirt. "Yeah, well, Golden Mask's hospitality leaves something to be desired."

Hermione quickly stepped behind him and gently pulled up the hem of his shirt.

"Hermione! Don't—" Harry tried to stop her but it was too late.

"They _whipped_you!" Hermione exclaimed, aghast, and she raised his shirt higher. Harry heard her gasp again. "It's no wonder you were in pain when I hugged you. You should get to Saint Mungo's yourself!"

"Not until I get all the information I can out of Malfoy. I won't take the chance that he'll go into hiding."

"But these wounds—"

"Can wait," Harry finished for her. The last thing he needed at the moment was Hermione mollycoddling him and he said impatiently, "Weren't you going to go find Ron?"

Hermione eyed him doubtfully, but reading the stubborn set of his jaw, she wisely decided not to push him for now. "Promise me that you won't do anything to Malfoy before we get back."

"I'll try to restrain myself," Harry replied dryly.

After Hermione was gone, Harry remained on the porch for a while, gazing out at the yard at nothing in particular. He was feeling extremely tired and the pain across his back was getting increasingly worse; although he found the physical pain easier to deal with than the sharp, cold ache that had taken up residence within his heart. His desire, his need, to take Ginny into his arms to feel the warmth of her body against his once again was nearly overwhelming. Throughout the war and its aftermath, during the funerals and the tears and the feelings of guilt that followed, Ginny had been there for him. She had been his rock, his sanity check and his greatest source of comfort, even as she herself dealt with the loss of her brother and their many friends. Now, when she was the one thing that he desperately needed, she was the one thing he could not have.

Harry took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He could not let himself dwell on this cruel twist of fate; instead, he had to concentrate on finding Golden Mask and his followers, because until they were safely locked away, Ginny's life remained in constant danger. Therefore, he needed to learn all that he could from Malfoy.

Knowing that he would have to give in to his need for sleep soon, Harry went back inside the cottage. He glanced over to where Ginny was seated next to Malfoy, sipping her tea, and his eyes narrowed dangerously. The promise he had made to Hermione to do nothing to Malfoy might not be that easy to keep.

Harry reluctantly took a seat opposite Ginny and Draco, and accepted a cup from Andromeda.

"Where's Teddy?" He asked, realizing for the first time that he had not seen his godson present.

"Still asleep. He had another nightmare last night and I couldn't get him back to bed until nearly six thirty this morning," Andromeda explained sadly. "What happened at the park has triggered them again."

Ginny glanced furtively at Harry, recalling what he said about how the first Death Eater attack had affected the child and her heart went out to the boy. The angry tick she saw in his jaw made it evident how furious he was by the news.

"Just like before, he was crying that the bad men were after him and that they wanted hurt him," Andromeda continued worriedly. "But he should be up in an hour or so. Hopefully seeing both you and Ginny will be of some help and comfort to him."

"I won't leave until after I've seen him, then," Harry promised.

"Thank you," Andromeda replied gratefully. "I was hoping that you wouldn't."

"So, Draco," Harry said, looking pointedly at the blond man, "Might as well begin with the explanations, shouldn't you?"

Just as all eyes turned expectantly to Draco, they heard someone at the door and Hermione let herself in.

"You're back soon. Where's Ron?" Harry asked. He thought he heard Malfoy let out a nervous gulp and he smiled to himself. Surely Malfoy realized that the beating Harry had given him was nothing compared to what each of Ginny's brothers would do if they got their hands on him.

"He wasn't around," Hermione replied, somewhat out of breath. "Neither was anyone else from your team and all they would tell me is that everyone was out on an assignment. I left a message for Ron to come here when he gets back."

"Perhaps you'd better start talking before Ron gets here," Harry said, looking coolly at Draco and unable to resist the taunt. "I bet he won't be in a friendly mood to greet you, either."

Draco shot Harry an irritated look and leaned forward with his head bowed, resting his elbows on his knees.

"We're waiting, Draco," Narcissa said sternly.

Draco sighed heavily, cleared his throat uncomfortably and began.

"Not long after Father's conviction, I was approached by a couple of people—"

"Who?" Harry interrupted. Unaffected by Draco's glare, Harry added, "You might as well start providing names now as you go; it will save us time later."

Draco continued to eye Harry coldly but he complied, "I was approached by _Malcolm__Baddock_and_Marcus__Flint__,_ who believed, as I did, that you," Draco indicated Harry with undisguised resentment, "were using your influence with the Minister to ensure certain Death Eaters were given the harshest sentences possible."

All eyes turned to Harry, but he made no comment to confirm or deny Draco's claim.

"Both Baddock and Flint's fathers had been sent to Azkaban the week before and they asked me to accompany them to a meeting to discuss ways to get back at you as well as the new Ministry. I figured it couldn't hurt to hear more, so I went. When each person arrived, we were given masks to wear before we were allowed into the meeting room. I thought it was rather ridiculous, but they insisted that it was supposed to keep each of us from recognizing the others. Once we were gathered, another masked man came in and explained that he was looking for people who either had an ax to grind with Potter or the new Ministry. That was my first contact with the man in the golden mask. I later learned that he had specifically asked Baddock and Flint to recruit me."

"I understand that you were angry, Draco," Narcissa interjected, her disappointment clear in her voice; "but after everything that happened during the war and after all the blood that has been shed, how could you agree to take part in plans that might lead to more death?"

"Mother," Draco's anger drained away in the wake of Narcissa's condemning tone and words, "I truly had no idea at that point his plans included killing anyone; I don't think any of us did. He held several meetings after that where he'd go on about giving us all a chance to avenge our fathers as well as the Dark Lord by punishing Potter and the new Ministry. But up until the night of the attack, I assumed all we were going to do is mess Potter up a bit and embarrass the new Ministry enough so that Shacklebolt would have to resign."

"You are one of them, then," Ginny clarified in a low voice, staring into her tea rather than looking at Draco or anyone else in the room. "You weren't just out riding your broom that night as you claimed, but you came as one of them to attack us, just like Harry said earlier."

Draco fidgeted uncomfortably and let out a slow breath, "Uh, yeah."

"Why did Golden Mask ask Baddock and Flint recruit you?" Harry continued his line of questioning while the creature in his chest relaxed slightly, feeling somewhat placated. Ginny had made no other comment, but she was tapping her index finger lightly against her teacup. He recognized it as a sure sign that she was becoming angry but she was trying to keep her temper in check. At last she was beginning to see through to the true Draco and the lies he was capable of.

"He wanted me to provide what funds I could to help pay the contacts he had made within the Ministry."

"We've assumed that he has someone in the Ministry working for him," Harry said. "Who are they?"

"I don't know," Draco answered.

"Draco, please," Narcissa pleaded. "You must cooperate with Harry and tell him everything."

"I honestly don't know who they are!" Draco insisted. "All I know is that he has several contacts. Although based on the information they've supplied, I assume there's someone in the Security Department."

This bit of information further confirmed Harry's and his team's suspicions about where at least one Ministry leak was located; but if Draco could not provide him with names, how were they to discover exactly who Golden Mask's contacts were?

"Eventually," Draco continued, "we were told that our first mission, if you want to call it that, was to find a way to get to Potter either right before or during his wedding."

Draco paused to run a hand nervously through his hair and he looked at his mother, "Somehow, he found out that Silas Adelcomb was a friend of ours and he asked me to enlist his help."

"Oh, Draco, no!" Narcissa gasped.

"He knew about Silas's reputation for creating new spells as well as breaking through curses and security wards. Once his Ministry contact described the wards that Bill Weasley had around his cottage, Silas was able to develop counter-spells we could use to disrupt or weaken the defenses when Weasley put them back up again. He also came up with a charm that would turn our brooms into Portkeys if we were rendered unconscious."

"Did he have Silas killed?" Andromeda asked.

"I'm not sure," Draco replied, "but probably."

"The night you met with Silas Adelcomb in the Dark Specter," Harry queried, "I heard that he was with someone named Joddy. What can you tell me about him?"

Draco seemed taken aback that Harry knew about that particular meeting, but then he replied, "His real name is Jodfree; first name is Tom. He's kind of like Golden Mask's lieutenant; often when he wants something done, Joddy's the one who relays his orders. "

"Jodfree?" Harry repeated, frowning.

"Do you know him?" Hermione asked hopefully.

"No, but I know someone with the same last name," Harry said. Then he asked Draco, "Do you know if he is any relation to Svenson Jodfree, or have you ever heard that name before?"

"I have no idea, and it doesn't sound familiar," Draco answered.

"Now that you mention it, I have heard that name somewhere before," Hermione mused.

"I've told you about him," Harry answered. "He's one of the Aurors from Internal Investigations who questioned me after Dingo was murdered. He all but accused me of being the one who killed him."

Ginny glanced at Harry, but when their eyes met, she quickly looked away from him uncomfortably; here was yet another mention of Harry's connection to a murder.

"Do you think he could be the contact in the Ministry?" Andromeda asked.

"I'm certainly going to look into it," Harry answered but the expression he had seen in Ginny's eyes before she looked away troubled him. Had it been fear or accusation?

Mentally shaking himself, he turned back to Draco. "So the Death Eaters found a way past Bill's wards. Who were you told to target in the attack?"

"Before we got there, we were told it was mainly you," Draco said. "Then Ginny ran out of the cottage alone."

"I did?" Ginny asked, wondering what would possess her to do something so completely stupid.

"Everything was happening so fast," Hermione explained. "We didn't realize that Teddy was still outside and you were the first one to see him. You ran out to help him and then Harry ran out after you."

"That's when his orders changed," Draco explained and paused, obviously quite reluctant to go on.

"And his new orders were to drive Ginny toward the cliff?" Harry prompted, his anger rising anew.

"Yeah," Draco affirmed.

"But why?" Ginny asked frowning.

"He wanted to send you over the cliff to your death right in front of Harry," Hermione replied in disgust. "Whoever he is, he wants to hurt Harry as much as possible."

"That's why you said that Harry is responsible for what happened to me?" Ginny asked as her mind began to work through this new information.

Draco nodded affirmatively and continued, "Once Ginny was near the edge, we were told to Apparate away. All of the others were already gone, but before I left, I saw Golden Mask shoot at both of you; and then Ginny fell… I was barely able to catch her before she hit the water, although once I got her to the manor, I realized that she was pretty banged up. She must have hit something when she fell."

Draco went on to explain about the nurse he had hired to look after Ginny and his surprise when she awoke with no memory.

When he admitted, albeit extremely reluctantly, that he had informed Golden Mask about Harry and Teddy's trips to the park, Narcissa was just barely able to stop Andromeda from hexing Draco in anger for the danger his actions had put Teddy in. Harry remained seated as everyone else in the room worked desperately to calm Andromeda down. He saw no reason to interfere; in his opinion, it would serve Draco right if she were to blast him off the face of the Earth.

When at last it finally seemed that Draco was out of immediate danger from his aunt's wrath, he continued his story. Andromeda was mollified slightly when he emphasized that he had not been the one who informed the Death Eaters of Harry and Teddy's plan to visit the park on the day the Death Eaters found them.

As Draco went on to explain about their escape from Malfoy Manor the previous night, Ginny could not stop thinking about the attack at her brother's house. Draco's description of the events from that night on the cliff was eerily similar to her nightmare, and Ginny felt a sense of panic start to build deep within her chest.

In her dreams, someone who terrified her was beside her on a cliff and there was also a dark haired man in the distance; she could never see his features clearly, but she remembered feeling such wonderful joy when she saw him; until the curse hit him square in the chest and he fell to the ground, where he remain motionless…

Ginny tried, but she was unable to quell her fear and push the image of her tormentor or the stricken man out of her mind. Her entire body started to tremble uncontrollably until panic finally crashed over her completely, eradicating all rational thought. The cup of tea she was holding slipped from her numb fingers and shattered on the floor, sending shards of glass and drops of tea splattering across the floor. Then the room went dark.

Harry knew Ginny was trying to avoid looking directly at him as Draco spoke, and while that made him feel even worse, it did allow him to safely watch her without her noticing. He became worried when the color drained from her face and he then he noticed that her hands were shaking. At first he only saw a slight tremor, but then her entire body began to tremble.

When the cup fell from Ginny's hands, Harry was the first to see her pitch forward and he moved as quickly as he could, ignoring the searing pain across his back caused by his sudden movement.

"Ginny!" he called out worriedly, and reached her just in time to keep her from falling to the floor.

Her eyes were closed tightly, and she cried_ "__No!__Please__no!__" _over and over in a frightened voice.

"Shh, Gin," Harry comforted in her ear, holding her trembling body close. "It's okay. You're safe here."

Ginny's eyes flew open and she looked around wildly at the people standing around her. Harry pulled back from her slightly to see her face, but when her eyes focused on him, Ginny became even more terrified and she began to fight against his embrace.

"No!" she cried, pummeling Harry's chest with her fists. "Don't—"

"I'm not going to hurt you," Harry replied, as coldness took hold of the pit of his stomach. "Ginny, please…"

Nothing Harry said eased Ginny's fear. Instead, his words only seemed to increase her panic.

Hermione kneeled down beside them, to take Ginny's hands into hers. "Ginny, you're with friends. You're safe here."

Hermione's voice slowly penetrated Ginny's fear and, reluctantly, Harry moved away, allowing Hermione to take his place beside her when he realized that she was having a more soothing effect on Ginny than he was.

As Ginny calmed, she slowly became aware of the group of concerned people watching her. Her face flamed with embarrassment when she realized that she had just experienced a full-fledged panic attack in front of everyone present, and it had happened while she was completely awake, not as a result of a nightmare.

"I'm sorry," she said feebly. "I don't know what just happened…"

"Oh, my dear, there is no need to apologize," Andromeda insisted as Hermione gently helped Ginny to her feet. "You have been through a frightening ordeal. Hermione, why don't you take Ginny upstairs so she can rest?"

"Of course," Hermione replied, keeping her arm around her friend.

Ginny allowed Hermione to lead her toward the stairs, grateful for the excuse to get away from all of the worried faces; all, that was, with the exception of Harry's.

Ginny quickly looked around for him and found that he had retreated to the far side of the room where he was staring out the window with is back toward all of them. She felt that she should speak to him, but she had no idea of what to say, so she silently went upstairs with Hermione.

"This was Tonks's room," Hermione said showing Ginny into a small bedroom with a canopy bed.

As Ginny sat down wearily on the bed, Hermione added for the younger girl's benefit, "Her name was actually Nymphadora, which she hated, so everyone called her Tonks. She was Andromeda's daughter; Teddy's mum."

"Where is she now?" Ginny asked, wondering why the woman wasn't living with her young son.

"Both she and her husband, Remus Lupin, died in the Battle of Hogwarts," Hermione replied solemnly.

"Oh." That was the second time today she'd heard reference to the Battle of Hogwarts and, while she was curious, she was too tired to feel up to asking more about a war at the moment. "I'm sorry. She was a friend of yours, then?"

Hermione turned to her, sadness showing in her eyes, "Yes. She was your friend, too; so was Remus."

"Hopefully it won't be long before I can remember them," Ginny sighed. "And everyone else again."

"I hope so, too, but for now, what you need the most is some sleep," Hermione admonished. "I'm expecting Ron, er, that's your brother, and my husband, to be here soon. You'll need as much rest as you can get before you see him and the rest of your family. Besides your parents, you have quite a few brothers."

"I know," Ginny said, the hint of a smile forming on her face. "Harry's told me about them."

"You've talked to Harry, then?" Hermione asked, her eyebrows rising.

"A little," Ginny shrugged as she lay down on the bed. "He answered some of my questions about my family before we came here."

"Oh, good." Hermione covered the younger girl with a light quilt, but Ginny sensed that her sister-in-law wanted to say more.

Hermione moved toward the door but then halted and turned back to the younger girl.

"Ginny…" She frowned as if struggling to find the right words.

"Hmm?" Ginny responded through the sleep that was already trying to descend upon her.

"Well… there are some things you ought to know." Hermione paused before adding, "About Harry, I mean."

Ginny looked at her sister-in-law cautiously. "Oh?"

"For one, you and Harry were going to be married the day after the attack."

"I know," Ginny replied, rubbing her hand across her eyes. "He told me that, too."

"I think you should also know that he didn't have a very easy time of it growing up," Hermione continued and Ginny found herself listening intently. "Those Muggles who raised him, if you can call it that, were absolutely horrible to him; they never loved him or cared about him. They treated him more like an unwanted pet than a child. He had no idea what it was like to be part of a loving and caring family until he met Ron. Molly and Arthur, they're your parents, practically adopted him. And then there were other, um… things he discovered toward the end of the war, but I don't think he would have truly come to understand what it was to love or to be loved without you."

"I only learned who he is yesterday," Ginny said and, although she felt sympathy for the boy that Hermione described, she wondered whether her sister-in-law was trying to make her feel guilty in some way. "Then this morning I come to find out I was supposed to marry him! Even though he's still a stranger to me, don't you think I can tell that my inability to remember him bothers him?"

"It more than bothers him," Hermione countered, solemnly. "He loves you so much. Thinking you had died nearly destroyed him."

Silence passed between the two women as Ginny debated whether to broach the subject that was truly bothering her. There was something about her sister-in-law that both annoyed her and that she liked, but her instincts were telling her Hermione was someone whom she could trust.

"You know Harry well, then?" Ginny finally asked tentatively.

"I've known him since we were both eleven," Hermione replied with a smile. "I consider him to be the perfect combination of the brother I never had and my very best friend, other than Ron, that is. So yes, I know him very well."

"I was wondering…" Ginny struggled to find the best way to phrase her question as the frightening image of the dark-haired man from her nightmare flashed through her mind. "Do you think he's capable of… what I mean is, has he ever done anything… bad to anyone?"

"To other than Voldemort, you mean?" Hermione asked. The slight frown that creased the younger girl's brow made it clear that she did not remember the Dark Wizard. "Never mind, we'll get to _him_ soon enough." And then she said in wonder, "You really are afraid of Harry! Merlin, Ginny, why? You were absolutely and completely thrilled to be marrying him! You've been in love with him your entire life!"

Ginny wondered how that could be if Harry had only met her family, and therefore her, when he was eleven.

"There is no reason for you to fear Harry." Hermione continued emphatically. Then she narrowed her eyes speculatively. "Did Draco try to tell you that there is?"

"Not exactly," Ginny replied quietly.

"Hmph," Hermione was clearly annoyed by the thought of what Malfoy may have told her. "Well, I know as sure as I'm talking to you at this very moment that Harry would never, ever harm you."

When Ginny didn't seem convinced, Hermione added, "I wish you could believe me, but I'm not being dramatic when I tell you that he would sacrifice himself before he'd let something happen to you or to anyone he loves. If you could only remember everything he's done…"

Hermione stopped speaking abruptly and then she continued more calmly, "Look, Ginny, I'm sorry. It's just that I hate to see the two of you torn apart like this when I know how happy you were together. I pray that we find a way to restore your memory soon, but until then, no matter what the reason is that you are afraid of him, try! Try to get beyond it and give Harry a chance because I _know_ with all my heart you'll be very glad that you did."


	22. Whisper from the Heart

Chapter 22: Whisper from the Heart

**A/N**- Thanks to everyone who continues to follow this story! I know this chapter is much shorter than most of the others, but the next one will be longer, I promise. To those of you in the states, have a safe and happy Thanksgiving!

"What have you told her, Malfoy?" Once Ginny and Hermione were gone up the stairs, Harry turned on Draco furiously. "Why is she afraid of me?"

"I think you can answer that better than I can!" Draco shot back angrily.

"What are you talking about?" Harry demanded. "You're the one who —"

"This isn't the first time Ginny's reacted like that," Draco answered.

"You mean it's happened before?" Andromeda asked worriedly.

"Several times," Draco affirmed. "She's had nightmares. She woke up screaming in the middle of the night, and she beat on me the same way before she came out of it."

Harry balled his hands into tight fists, trying very hard to control his rising feelings of jealousy to hear Malfoy was with Ginny when she awoke from nightmares. There was no doubt about it; he was definitely going to have to kill the bloody son-of-a —

"She's been having the same nightmare over and over," Draco continued looking at Harry accusingly. "She always dreams about the same person hurting her, though she says she can never remember who he is. But she remembered what he looks like," Draco pointed at Harry, "and she described you, Potter."

"Me?" Harry was completely taken aback but he glared back at Draco. "Then you must have fed her a bunch of lies to make her think —"

"I've never told her what you look like!" Draco spat back. "She came up with that all on her own. And you saw how she reacted to you a while ago. Looks to me like her subconscious is trying to warn her! I wonder, Potter, do you really care about her? Why don't you just admit to whatever sick things you've done to her! It's no wonder she's tried to forget you!"

Harry's fury broke. "I've had enough of your twisted lies, Malfoy!"

He pulled his wand from his pocket and shot a curse at Draco, but the blond wizard had been ready for him. Draco was able to get a curse off at Harry a split second before the red light of Harry's curse hit him square in the chest. The curse knocked Draco backward and he landed hard on the last step below where Hermione now stood frozen in surprise.

Unfortunately for Harry, Draco had also aimed well and he found himself on the floor, gritting his teeth hard the pain searing across his back.

Neither wizard was through and took aim at each other again. Before either could get off another shot, shouts of _'__Protego!__'_ filled the room and a shield charm erupted around each of them.

Harry shot a furious look across the room at Hermione, whose wand was still pointed at him, while Narcissa lowered her wand, having protected her son with a shielding charm of her own.

"Trying to kill each other is certainly not going to help this situation!" Hermione admonished, slowly lowering her wand.

"I should say not!" Andromeda agreed, although her fingers twitched on her own wand for a moment as the glared at her nephew. Then she said pointedly to Harry, "You will refrain from dueling in my home! Is that understood?"

Harry struggled to get to his feet and Hermione rushed past Draco to go assist him.

"What were you thinking, Harry?" Hermione scolded. "You know better than to let Malfoy get to you! Now look! You've gone and torn open the wounds on your back."

"Wounds?" Andromeda questioned, and her anger abated when she noticed fresh blood on the back of Harry's shirt and the sudden pallor of his face. "You're as white as a ghost! Why didn't you tell us you were injured so badly? What did they do to you?"

Draco's curse had drained Harry of the last bit of energy he had and he was forced to accept Hermione's help over to the couch before his legs gave out.

"Ask your nephew," Harry answered with a clenched jaw, remaining as still as possible and wishing for the fire raging across his back to again recede to a more tolerable level.

When his mother and aunt looked at him for an explanation, Draco answered resignedly, "The man in the gold mask promised to give everyone who joined him the opportunity to take out their revenge against Potter once he was captured. They tied him in our carriage house and…"

"They beat him!" Hermione finished for him, disgust evident in her voice. "With a whip. And quite savagely judging by the condition of Harry's back."

"Oh, Draco!" Narcissa sat in a chair heavily, looking at her son as if she did not know who he was. "I thought we were done with such violence! You may still harbor animosity toward Harry, but to take part in—"

"I didn't have a choice, Mother!" Draco cried. "He threatened to kill you as well as me!"

"When I asked you the other day," Narcissa said, tears of anger and sorrow forming in her eyes, "you swore you weren't involved! You lied to me!"

"No, Mother. If you recall, I said that I did not tell anyone where Potter had taken the kid that day."

Narcissa stared unbelievingly at Draco before turning away from him miserably, "Your father has taught you too well."

"You could have come forward after the attack!" Andromeda stated angrily to her nephew. "You should have helped to stop them before they tried to take Teddy or before they nearly killed Hermione! You should have brought Ginny back!"

"I was trying to find a way out!" Draco rounded on Andromeda. "But we had already learned what happens when someone talks to the wrong people or they fail to complete his orders! A few people accompanied either him or Joddy out of the country and we never saw them again. Didn't you hear what I said? He threatened to kill Mother and me if I refused to go along with him!"

"But Draco will be helping us from here on out," Harry said firmly, looking up at Draco from his seat. "You're coming with me to the Ministry and—"

"Not in your lifetime, Potter!" Draco snapped back. "We don't know who he has working for him there, so I'm not about to put my life on the line by going to the Ministry!"

"I'm not giving you the choice," Harry replied coolly. "I'm officially arresting you for being an accessory to both murder and attempted murder, not to mention for breaking the terms of your probation for your involvement in the war."

"Please," Narcissa said pleadingly, her anger draining rapidly as she stepped back to her son. "What Draco did was wrong, but I'm certain that what he said is true. His life will be very much in danger if goes to the Ministry! At least until the Death Eater's contacts are uncovered!"

"He should have thought about that before he decided to join up with the Death Eaters again—"

"But he saved Ginny's life!" Narcissa argued. "Surely that has to be worth something!"

"And then he held her captive for nearly three months!" Harry shot back.

"Maybe Narcissa is right," Hermione interjected quietly.

"_What?__" _ Harry turned on her in disbelief. "How can you take Malfoy's side after everything he's done?"

"Harry, think!" Hermione implored, sitting down beside him. "We have no idea who in the Ministry is working for Golden Mask, so it would be very easy for them to get to Draco. He certainly won't be able to help your investigation if they kill him!"

"So, I should just let him go on his merry way and take the chance that he'll go into hiding?" Harry snapped sarcastically. "That won't help our investigation, either!"

"I guarantee that you will be able to contact Draco any time you need him," Narcissa stated beseechingly.

Harry looked from Narcissa back to Hermione incredulously. "Are you all forgetting that Draco has admitted to working for Golden Mask, not to mention to being involved in the attack that nearly killed Ginny, as well as being a party to other illegal activities? I'm an Auror! The last I knew, it was my job to arrest the bad guys!"

"I can't lose my son, too," Narcissa implored, kneeling down in front of Harry so she could look him straight in the eyes. "He will stay at my cottage by the ocean. No one knows its location. I swear on my life that once the Death Eaters and their Ministry contacts are caught, Draco will turn himself in to face all charges against him. Agreed, Draco?"

When Draco did not answer at once, Narcissa repeated more adamantly, "Agreed, Draco?"

"Alright, yes!" He snapped "Agreed!"

"I don't believe this!" Harry said in exasperation, running a hand through his hair and wincing when his sudden movement shot a blaze of fire across his back. Either the pain had addled his brain or he had to be more exhausted than he realized if he was allowing them to talk him into this.

"I'm warning you, Malfoy," Harry growled, "if you run and if I have to come looking for you…"

"Don't get your knickers in a bunch, Potter," Draco replied coldly, "you won't."

It looked as though both Harry and Draco were seriously considering having another go at each other, but Hermione quickly intervened.

"Now that that's settled, Harry, I think we should see about your back."

"Come, I'll accompany you to the cottage," Narcissa said to her son, taking Hermione's cue, as well as Draco's arm. "You will be able to reach us there, Mr. Potter."

After Narcissa and Draco had gone, Harry glared at Hermione, "Did I really just allow you to talk me into letting Malfoy go?"

"Yes you did," Hermione stated unflinchingly. "And unless you want to babysit him twenty-four-seven, you know it's really the only thing you can do if you want to keep him alive."

Harry responded with a snort of disgust to which Hermione added, "Narcissa will keep a close eye on him. She wants her son to be safe and you know that Draco will be too frightened to run with Golden Mask's lot after him. Now, you really need to get some sleep, but first I think you should see a Healer about your back…"

"I promised to stay until after I see Teddy." Harry was feeling even more tired all of a sudden and he continued to mentally berate himself for being a complete idiot for letting Malfoy leave.

"Alright," Hermione answered with a heavy sigh, knowing better than to try to argue with him. "Andromeda, do you have some Dittany?"

"I do," the older woman replied.

"Then, Harry," Hermione said, "Lie down on the couch on your stomach and I'll apply more Dittany. Then you can at least try to get some sleep before Teddy wakes."

Hermione Vanished his shirt and Harry eased himself down onto the couch, but he had fallen into an exhausted sleep before Andromeda returned with the bottle of Dittany.

xxxxxx

It felt like he had only just closed his eyes when Harry became aware of people talking in hushed tones. He recognized Ron's angry voice demanding to see his sister and then Hermione just as adamantly insisting that he wait because she had recently checked on Ginny, who was still soundly asleep.

Harry wanted to yell at the both of them to shut it so he could go back to sleep himself, but then he had the distinct feeling he was being watched.

Still lying on his stomach, he detected the lightest of pressure from another shirt Hermione must have conjured to cover his wounded back, and he cracked his eyes open slightly. He nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw a grinning face only inches from his own directly in front of him.

"Oi, Teddy!" He admonished crankily, as he stiffly moved into a sitting position. "You shouldn't do that to people when they're sleeping!"

"You did it, Uncle Hawey!" Teddy exclaimed, too excited to pay any attention to Harry's reprimand. "Gram said I had to let Aunt Ginny sleep, but I saw her! You bwought her back from the bad men just like I knew you would!"

Harry rubbed the sleep from his eyes as Teddy's words slowly sunk in.

"What do you mean?" Harry questioned, frowning at his godson. He'd never said anything in front of Teddy regarding his suspicions that Ginny could be alive.

"I hoped the bad men in the park took you to the same place they took Aunt Ginny," Teddy explained. "Then you could find her and bring her back."

"Wait… even before you saw Aunt Ginny upstairs, you thought she was alive?" Harry queried. "Why?" Harry asked at his affirmative nod.

"'Cause a bad man catched her," Teddy replied.

Amazed, Harry asked, "You mean you saw someone catch Aunt Ginny when she fell that night at Uncle Bill's?"

"Uh-huh."

"Why didn't you tell us?" Harry demanded. The tone of his voice was much harsher than he intended and Teddy's eyes widened fearfully.

"I'm sorry, Teddy," Harry quickly amended, taking the boy's hand into his. "I'm not upset with you, honest."

Teddy looked very relieved and Harry continued more calmly, "But, why didn't you tell us that you saw someone catch her?"

"Nobody asked me," Teddy answered matter-of-factly.

Harry stared dumbfounded at his godson for a moment until Teddy asked more somberly, "Are the bad men going to come back again? I don't like them. They're scawy."

"I know," Harry replied comfortingly. "But I'm going to do my best to catch them and put them in prison as soon as I can. Although, until then, I don't think we should go to any more parks."

Seeing the disappointment on Teddy's face, Harry added. "What if I try to talk Gram into letting me give you flying lessons whenever I come to visit, instead? You've got a few years before you head off to Hogwarts, so if we start training you up, I bet you'll have a brilliant shot at making your house Quidditch team."

"Weally?" Teddy asked, brightening.

"Really." Harry smiled, gently ruffling the boy's hair, which was turning a brighter shade of blue as they spoke.

"Can I still be wing bare-wer?" Teddy asked suddenly. "I still wemember what to do. Can we do it soon?"

Reminded of Ginny's loss of memory, Harry felt the familiar coldness in the pit of his stomach.

"There's something I guess I need to explain to you," he said; but how was he to explain Ginny's current circumstances to a child? "I, er, think it may be a while now before Aunt Ginny and I get married."

"Why?" Teddy asked, looking disappointed. "Don't you love Aunt Ginny anymore?"

"Of course I do," Harry replied, pulling Teddy onto his lap and giving him a hug. "I love her more than ever."

"Oh. So she doesn't love you anymore?"

"Well, at the moment Aunt Ginny doesn't know that she does," Harry answered.

Seeing that this confused the boy all the more, Harry took a deep breath and tried again, "You see, Aunt Ginny doesn't remember me. We don't know why, but she's lost her memory, and she can't remember any of us; not me, or you or Gram or your uncles. We're going to have to give her some time to try to remember again." Then he leaned down to whisper conspiratorially in Teddy's ear. "But you know, I also think after everything that's happened, Aunt Ginny is kind of scared now, too, so she's going to need all us to do whatever we can to help her out. What do you think?"

"If I help her remember us, I still get to be wing ber-wer!" Teddy exclaimed.

"Kiddo, you've got yourself a deal," Harry said, holding out his hand to a grinning Teddy who gave it an eager shake.

xxxxxx

Ginny awoke when she heard the creaking of the bedroom door followed by Andromeda's low voice admonishing someone to stay quiet to allow both her, Ginny, and Harry to get some much needed sleep. Ginny lay there a while longer, hoping to doze off again, but she was no longer sleepy enough to keep her mind from wondering back to all that had happened in just the twenty-four hours.

Judging by the light shining through the bedroom window, she assumed that it must be mid afternoon which meant she had been asleep for a long while. It was also the first time she had slept for more than a few hours in a row without being awakened by nightmares. In fact, she could not remember dreaming at all, which she hoped could be considered a sign of progress.

She sat up, thinking she felt much better until she thought of the upcoming meeting with her family and her stomach fluttered nervously. "Meeting" was a strange way of thinking about seeing the people who she was supposedly the closest to, but the fact remained: while they all knew her, she still could not remember any of them. From Harry's description, it certainly sounded like her family was a close-knit, loving and supportive sort with the conflicts and disagreements typical in a healthy family dynamic. She just hoped that she would still fit in with them all.

She left the room and started down the stairs, but then halted in mid-step when she saw Harry lying on his stomach, asleep on the couch. A young boy with blue-tinted hair was sitting on his knees closely watching him. Harry must have either sensed the boy's presence or heard the people talking on the front porch because he stirred slightly.

When he woke suddenly, Ginny stepped back up a few stairs quickly to where Harry could not see her, but she could still hear his exchange with the boy. Initially, she was concerned for the boy's welfare when she heard Harry's angry reprimand, but it soon became evident that he had not intended to frighten the boy. In fact, he was trying his best to reassure the child, who turned out to be his godson, Teddy.

As she listened to their conversation, Ginny found herself contemplating the type of person Harry Potter truly must be. Was it possible that someone who was able to comfort a small boy, as he was doing at the moment, was the same person her subconscious presented as a monster in her nightmares?

When Teddy broached the subject of their wedding, Ginny held her breath as she waited for Harry's response. When he declared that he still loved her, she felt an undeniable thrill run through her body like a warm, pleasant current, and she slowly sank to sit down on the step.

You can't fancy him already, she admonished herself. That would be completely _mental!_ Sure, at one time they were supposed to be married, but now she didn't even know him. Harry Potter was a stranger; a stranger who she suspected had quite possibly done horrible things to her in the past.

Then Hermione's plea drifted through her mind. _"__Give__Harry__a__chance,__because__I_know_with__all__my__heart__you__'__ll__be__very__glad__that__you__did.__"_

Ginny closed her eyes and took a deep, shaky breath. Heaven and the stars help her, but she could not deny it; while her head was telling her to remain wary, her heart was urging her to heed her sister-in-law's words.


	23. Spreading the News

**A/N-** Happy New Year, everyone! My original plan was to get the next two chapters posted before Christmas, but, as always, I ended up running out of time. The good news is the next chapter is written and should be posted relatively soon- promise! And many thanks to those who've take the time to leave a review. I do read all of them.

**Chapter 23 – Spreading the News**

After his long nap on Andromeda's couch and Hermione's insistence that she apply more Dittany to his wounds before he left, Harry was feeling somewhat reenergized in body, if not in spirit.

He provided Ron with details about the numerous Death Eaters that he had seen while held captive, and while it was only he, Ron and Hermione present, he also told them about what he had witnessed between Draco and Ginny in the garden. Hermione listened quietly with a troubled expression on her face, but Ron's reaction was much less subtle confirming that Malfoy was indeed fortunate to have left with his mother before Ron arrived. Ron was only slightly mollified when Harry told them about breaking Draco's nose and he thought he heard Ron mutter something about breaking more than Draco's nose the next time he saw him.

Harry waited around as long as he could for a chance to see Ginny again, but she had remained asleep and did not come back downstairs. It took a great amount of effort on his part to resist tip-toeing quietly up to peek in on her, for he knew if he were to see her again, he very likely would not be able to tear himself away from her side.

Although he had already allowed more time to elapse than he should have before reporting all he had learned to Director Candlehard and to the rest of his team, there was one stop he had to make before going to the Ministry. It was his fault that the Weasleys had been put through so much grief; therefore, Harry wanted to deliver the miraculous news that Ginny had been found, even if she was not returning to them completely whole.

"Oh, thank the heavens!" Molly exclaimed as she rushed out of the kitchen door to greet him. "Arthur and I feared the worst when Ron and Hermione told us what had happened to you. I can't believe it! Death Eaters running rampant again! And attacking you right in broad daylight!"

Molly went to hug him, but Harry quickly put his hands up to stop her.

"Harry, are you alright?" Molly asked, looking him over worriedly.

"I'm just a bit sore is all," Harry explained, trying to keep his tone light. "You know Death Eaters. They always tend to put up a fight."

"You poor boy!" Molly exclaimed taking his face gently into her hands. Her eyes traveled over his multiple bruises. "Are you sure you're alright? You're looking a bit too peaky to suit me."

"I'll be fine," Harry assured her although he wished she would stop scrutinize him so closely. He didn't want to see the look of horror on her face if she were to learn how badly the Death Eaters had beaten him.

"Will Arthur be able to get here soon?" he asked, changing the subject away from his physical health.

"Any minute," Molly answered. "I sent a message to him right after you called. I have to say you gave me quite a shock!"

Harry had contacted her from the fireplace at Andromeda's and, after Molly regained her composure from seeing him, he told her that he wanted to speak to both her and Arthur as soon as possible.

"You sounded so urgent... " She glanced sideways at him, looking pale and frightened. "You don't have bad news, do you?"

His message had been purposely cryptic and guilt washed over him for causing Molly even more worry, but he wanted to tell both of Ginny's parents every bit of the news in person when they were together.

"Err, no," Harry replied. "I'm sure you won't consider it bad."

"Thank heavens," she said, sounding very relieved. They entered the kitchen and Molly immediately went to the cupboard to get out a plate. "Sit down, Harry, and I'll make you a sandwich."

"That will be great, thanks," Harry said, realizing for the first time that day that he was feeling quite hungry.

Molly flicked her wand and all at once, a knife jumped out of a drawer and began to cut two thick slices off a loaf of bread while an assortment of sandwich fillings, along with a pitcher of pumpkin juice flew from out of the ice box.

Harry's mouth watered as he watched the sandwich assemble itself until it was at least four inches thick.

"Now I want you to eat every bite," Molly admonished, pouring pumpkin juice into a glass and handing it to him. "You still haven't gained back all the weight you lost after—" Molly paused and took a shaky breath. "…after everything that happened."

Harry found it suddenly difficult to swallow his bite of sandwich and he took a swig of juice to help wash it down.

"It's been a while since you stopped by for a visit," she said, the brightness in her voice somewhat forced. Harry knew that Molly's curiosity about the reason he was there was getting to her, but he was thankful she refrained from pushing for an explanation until her husband arrived.

"I'll start coming by more often," Harry promised and took another bite of the sandwich.

"That will make us very happy, dear." Molly smiled warmly, giving him a motherly pat on the arm. "You know Arthur and I will always consider you part of our family."

Again, Harry found swallowing difficult, which Molly must have noticed because she got up and began to tidy up the kitchen, leaving him at the table to finish eating.

"Arthur's here!" Harry heard her say just as he took the last bite of his sandwich.

"I got here as fast as I could," Arthur said as he entered the kitchen, slightly out of breath. Harry stood up from the table as Molly took her husband's traveling cloak.

"So good to see you, Harry!" Arthur said, smiling at Harry and shaking his hand vigorously. "Molly and I were both beside ourselves when we learned the Death Eaters had taken you. Hermione informed us that Teddy was unharmed, but you do look a bit worse for wear."

Arthur may have been trying to sound cheerful but he could not keep his concern and worry from reaching his eyes. "You'll have to tell us what happened."

"I will, sir," Harry replied distractedly, for he was trying to work out how best to begin explaining the purpose for the urgent visit.

"Harry's assured me that whatever he needs to tell us is not bad news," Molly said, coming to stand next to her husband and looking at Harry expectantly.

"That's good to know," Arthur said. His manner relaxed slightly but when Harry did not immediately launch into an explanation, he prompted, "Well? You don't want us to die of suspense, do you?"

"No, sir, sorry," Harry replied. "Why don't we sit down then, shall we?"

The Weasleys complied, although they continued to watch him anxiously.

"Right then," Harry inhaled deeply and clasped his hands together tightly on the table in front of him.

"This is going to be a shock –a good shock, mind you— and I wanted to tell you myself when you were both together but… Ginny is alive."

The silence that filled the room was deafening and time seemed to momentarily stop while both of Ginny's parents gaped at him as if they did not understand what he had just said. Then Molly, clearly unable to utter a sound, slowly brought her trembling hands up to cover part of her face so that Harry could only see her eyes, so much like Ginny's, begin to well with astonished tears.

"Did I…" Arthur started hoarsely and he had to clear his throat before he could continue. "Did I just hear you say that our daughter… that Ginny is alive?"

"Yes, sir," Harry said and went on quickly. "I've seen her and I've spoken with her and she is alive and unhurt. One of the Death Eaters caught her when she fell during the attack that night, and when they grabbed me at the park, they took me to the same place that they'd been holding her all this time."

"Oh my…" Molly whispered behind her hands. She continued to stare at Harry and her voice grew louder as his word's slowly and truly sunk in. "Arthur! Our Ginny is alive! I can't— Oh my God! _Ginny's alive_!

"_Ginny's alive!"_ Molly cried again and she threw her arms around her husband's neck repeating the words over and over, sobbing joyfully into her husband's chest.

Arthur held his wife tightly in his arms, tears of joy of his own wetting his face as well as Molly's hair.

Feeling like an intruder, Harry kept his gaze glued to his hands in front of him, waiting quietly to deliver the rest of his news.

Finally Arthur sniffed and ran his hand across his face and looked back at Harry. "Where…" he had to clear his throat again, "where is she now? If Ginny is still being held captive, we'll need to contact the Ministry so we can come up with a plan to get her back."

"That's not necessary, she's safe now," Harry said. "She's at Andromeda's and Ron and Hermione are with her, too."

"But why didn't you bring her right here?" Molly questioned, swiping tears from her red, puffy eyes. "Come on, Arthur. I want to see my daughter and bring her home where she belongs!"

"Wait… please," Harry ran a hand through is messy hair. "She was still sleeping when I left, and Ron and Hermione said they'd bring her here the moment she wakes up."

"But I want to see my daughter!" Molly insisted.

"Harry," Arthur said carefully, as if he was afraid to ask the question. "Is there more that you need to tell us?"

"I don't need to hear anything else!" Molly stated heatedly, pulling out of her husband's embrace and standing up. "I _need _to see Ginny right now!"

"Just a moment, Molly," Arthur replied so sternly that his wife froze and turned her attention back to Harry.

"What else do you have to tell us?" Arthur repeated.

"Trust me that Ginny is fine," Harry answered, "and she's in perfect health physically."

Arthur's face visibly paled and he frowned across the table at him. "Are you implying that she's not in perfect health in some other aspect?"

"Ginny's lost her memory," Harry stated with a frustrated sigh.

"What do you mean she's lost her memory?" Molly demanded.

"Just what I said," Harry replied, beginning to feel somewhat irritated. He knew that some of the news he had to deliver would be difficult for them, but he hoped they'd also understand how difficult this was for him as well.

"Apparently she was unconscious for a while after the attack, and when she awoke, she could not remember anything about herself or about her life. She doesn't remember anyone from her family, about growing up at The Burrow, about Hogwarts, the war, or that she played for the Harpies or…"

There was an uncomfortable pause and then Arthur finished for him, "Or that she has a fiancé?"

Harry could only nod his head slightly in response and he began to study a hangnail on his thumb. Blinking rapidly, he silently admonished himself for feeling so morose even while delivering the happiest news Ginny's parents could hear. Ginny was alive and that should be the only thing that mattered.

"I thought," he took a bracing breath, "it would be better if you heard about everything before you saw her. Like I said, Ginny was still asleep when I left Andromeda's to come here. She's been through a lot… she's learned a lot since just last night. She's already seen Hermione, and Ron will be there when she wakes up. Hermione and I thought it might be easier if she meets at least one of her brothers first before the rest of the family. I understand how anxious you are to see her, and I don't mean to make you angry, but I also thought it would be better if I told you everything while Ginny isn't around; she certainly doesn't need to hear it all again. And Ron and Hermione promised that they'd bring her home just as soon as she woke up."

"It probably is a good idea for us to hear about what happened before Ginny arrives," Arthur said, taking his wife's hand. "And Harry's right, dear. Who knows what Ginny has been through? Making her listen to Harry explain it to us could be more traumatizing."

"Ron and Hermione will bring her here right away?" It was clear that Molly was fighting an internal battle between her desire to see her daughter and heeding her husband's advice.

"Yes," Harry acknowledged. "Hermione wanted me to emphasize that she promised. They should be arriving any time now."

"I suppose…" Molly sighed reluctantly, but reading the look of sadness on Harry's face she continued, "I should have realized that you'd only have Ginny's best interest at heart."

Before he could stop her this time, Molly moved quickly to hug him, but she stepped back when she felt his body tense in her embrace.

"Is it that bad?" Molly said worriedly when Harry was unable to hide his grimace of pain. "Whatever did they do to you?"

With her husband's urging, Molly took the seat next to him and Harry then went on to explain everything that had happened from Draco Malfoy catching Ginny when she fell during the attack at Shell Cottage up through their escape from Malfoy Manor earlier that morning. He purposely kept the description of his own brutal encounter with the Death Eaters in the carriage house to the barest of details, but, as with Hermione, he was unable to keep Molly from insisting on examining his back.

"Arthur, would you look at what they've done to him!" Molly exclaimed, her face becoming a mask of horror, just as Harry had imagined it would. "You should have a Healer take a look at that."

"It's already loads better than it was," Harry said quickly. "Ginny patched up the worst of it earlier this morning, and Hermione applied more Dittany before I left Andromeda's. Besides, I have to report into the office so we can start looking for Golden Mask's followers."

"But—" Molly began to protest, but Harry cut her off.

"It looks worse than it is, really," he lied, and from the expression on Molly's face he knew that she did not believe him.

"Of course I can't make you take care of yourself," she replied in a disapproving tone, and she reluctantly let the subject go. "But you will come back here tonight for dinner. We'll contact each of the boys. They'll all want to get here as soon as they— oh, dear!" Molly jumped up and started rummaging through the cupboards. "If we're going to have the whole crowd I've got to be starting dinner! Let's see… I should have nearly everything on hand to make most of Ginny's favorites…"

"Come on, Harry, I'll walk you outside," Arthur said, smiling at his wife's frenzied, but overjoyed excitement.

When they arrived at the Apparition point in the yard, Arthur turned to him, "I think your news has brought my Molly back."

Harry responded with a slight smile and nod.

"She really is alright, then?" Arthur asked apprehensively, now that his wife was not around. "I mean they haven't hurt her or, ah, done anything…"

Harry shook his head, understanding Arthur's concern. "I got the impression Golden Mask wouldn't let anyone touch her until he could force me to watch it. And while I loathe Malfoy, I don't think he's one who'd force himself on a woman." Take advantage of her, perhaps, Harry added in his mind, but he did not want to get into that subject with Ginny's father.

"We'll see you later this evening then?" Arthur asked, looking more relieved.

Harry's face fell slightly. "It'll be overwhelming enough for Ginny to see you and all of her brothers without adding someone else to the mix."

"You're her fiancé, so you have the right to be here as much as everyone else in the family," Arthur countered and then a thought seemed to dawn on him. "She does know the two of you were to be married?"

"Yeah," Harry replied with a sigh. "But I don't think she was very happy about it. She's going to need time to sort everything out and I understand that. But unless she gets her memory back, nothing will change the fact that I'm really just a stranger to her now. Actually," Harry paused, debating for a brief second before deciding he might as well let her father know, "she acts like she's afraid of me."

"Afraid of you?" Arthur repeated, his eyebrows rising in surprise. "What on earth makes you say that?"

Harry then explained what Draco had told him about Ginny's nightmares, and about her reaction to him when he tried to comfort her earlier that day at Andromeda's cottage.

"Sounds to me like Malfoy may have planted some funny ideas in her head," Arthur growled angrily. "I wouldn't put it past him."

"I wouldn't, either," Harry agreed irritably. "But whether he has or not, something about my presence bothers her, and Ginny certainly has enough to be getting on with for a while. I'm afraid that it will only make things harder for her if I'm around, too."

"If there is one thing that I'm sure has not changed about my daughter, no matter what she has been through, it's that she is a very strong young woman," Arthur said, looking Harry in the eyes. "I don't think you should worry about your presence making it harder on her. You're a good man, Harry, and the most courageous and decent person that I've ever had the privilege to meet."

Uncomfortable with Mr. Weasley's accolades, Harry tore his gaze away to look down at ground by his feet.

"I'm not trying to embarrass you," Arthur continued. "I only want there to be no doubt in your mind that I firmly believe a father could never hope to find someone better for his daughter to fall in love with than you."

Startled by this open declaration, Harry looked back at Ginny's father.

"Oh, Harry," Arthur said, shaking his head at him for a reason Harry did not understand. "What I'm _trying_ to say is that even if Ginny never gets her memory back, I'm confident my daughter will eventually see the tremendous qualities within you that she saw before all this happened and that she'll go falling head-over-heels with you all over again. However, that cannot possibly happen if you are not around. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir, I think so," Harry replied, as a smile reappeared on his face.

"Good," Arthur said, his smile broadening as well. "Now perhaps if I go see what I can do to assist Molly in the kitchen, it will help the time go by faster for me until Ron and Hermione get here with Ginny."

He turned back toward the house and called back over his shoulder, "See you later tonight, Harry."

"Yes, sir," Harry called back and then he Apparated to the Ministry.

xxxxx

Confused by her own reaction to the conversation she had overheard between Harry and Teddy, Ginny made her way quietly back up to the bedroom. She wanted time to sort out her feelings regarding Harry before she was to face him again.

Eventually she could hear people talking in low voices downstairs, but she was unable to make out what was being said; then the front door opened and closed and Harry's, Hermione's and another male voice drifted up from outside.

Ginny went to the window and pulled the curtain back ever so slightly so she could see the people below. Harry and Hermione were talking to a tall man with bright red hair whose back was towards her. She assumed him to be her brother Ron, who was married to Hermione. The three of them slowly walked away from the house, with Harry doing most of the talking. It was quite obvious that whatever he was saying was upsetting her brother because every so often the redhead animatingly interrupted whatever Harry was saying or he'd run a hand angrily through is red hair and begin to pace.

Eventually, Harry Disapparated and Hermione and her brother walked back toward the cottage, hand-in-hand. Ginny stepped hastily away from the window, feeling both nervous and excited that she was about to meet one of her brothers.

"Aunt Ginny!" Teddy squealed with delight when he saw her descend the stairs. The boy ran over and wrapped his arms around her legs, hugging her tightly.

"Hi, Teddy," Ginny replied, bending slightly to return his hug. She then turned her eyes quickly to Hermione and her brother, who both stood up quickly from where they had been conversing quietly on the couch.

"Ginny!" Ron exclaimed under his breath, staring dumbfounded at the sister he thought he would never see again. For the briefest of moments, the tall man whose hair color matched her own, stood frozen in place gapping at her, his blue eyes wide. Then an overjoyed smile split his freckled face and he rushed forward, pulling her into a bone crushing hug.

"It's really you!" he said with thankful disbelief. "God, Ginny, I can hardly believe it!"

His hug tightened around her, and just as Ginny feared that her ribs were about to crack any second, Hermione came to her rescue.

"Ron, you have to let her breathe!" Hermione admonished, tears of happiness spilling down her face as she witnessed the siblings' reunion.

Ron relented slightly by stepping back to allow his eyes to travel over Ginny's face, but he continued to hold her at arm's length by her shoulders as if reluctant to let her go completely.

"If you haven't guessed by now," Hermione sniffed through her tears, "this is your brother, Ron."

"Hello, Ron," Ginny replied smiling up at him, as her brother's infectious joy spread to her. "I know it probably sounds like a strange thing to say, but I'm very happy to meet you."

"So you honestly don't remember us at all?" Ron asked sounding disappointed, even though she knew that Hermione and Harry would have prepared him for her loss of memory.

"Not yet, I'm sorry to say," Ginny replied, shaking her head.

"Oh, well, that will come in time," Ron said confidently. He then asked with concern, "So how are you, other than your memory loss, I mean."

"I'm feeling fine," she answered but added with a slight shiver, "although there were a few scary moments earlier this morning before we escaped—"

"I knew Uncle Hawey would find you!" Teddy interrupted proudly. "I knew it! He's the bestest Aw-ror ever!"

Ginny smiled down at the boy, "I'm sure he is."

"Hey, what about me?" Ron demanded, glowering good-naturedly down at the boy. "I'm an Auror now, too, you know!"

"Uncle Hawey's been and Aw-ror longer," Teddy declared as Andromeda came into the room.

"Ah, Ginny, you're awake," the older woman said. "I thought I'd heard your voice, too. Come along, Teddy, so we can let Aunt Ginny and Uncle Ron talk."

"Actually, we're going to take Ginny to The Burrow," Hermione said. "Harry already left to tell Molly and Arthur the news so they'll be prepared before they see her. We said we'd take her straight there just as soon as she was awake."

"Although, it wouldn't surprise me if Mum appears the second after she finds out," Ron said and glanced out the window as if expecting to see his mother outside.

"By all means, go on," Andromeda said as she walked over to Ginny. "I know how excited and impatient I'd be to see my daughter if I learned that she was alive."

A sad shadow crossed the older woman's face, but she recovered quickly and gave Ginny an affectionate hug. "I'm sure everything will work itself out with your memory, and I hope that we'll see you again soon."

"Thank you and you will," Ginny replied, hugging Andromeda back.

"See you later, Aunt Ginny!" Teddy said as Ginny bent down to give him another hug has well.

"Bye, Teddy. I'll visit again soon," Ginny assured the boy

"Hey! You can help Uncle Hawey teach me to ride a bwoom!"

"Perhaps," Ginny said smiling and ruffled the boy's hair.

"You're still a bit young to ride a broom, Teddy," Andromeda stated sternly as Hermione, Ron and Ginny turned to leave. "Maybe Harry and Ginny can teach you in another year or so."

"Awe! But Uncle Hawey said he'd talk you into it!" Teddy retorted.

"He did, did he?" They heard Andromeda reply as the door closed behind them.

"I hope Harry hasn't promised Teddy something that he shouldn't have," Ginny said worriedly.

"Me, too," Hermione agreed. "Andromeda's right. Teddy is a bit too young for a broom."

"Too young?" Ron demanded. "He's, what, already three? That's plenty old enough, Hermione."

"No it isn't! What if he were to fall?" Hermione stopped with her hands on her hips, looking at Ron incredulously.

"It's not like he'd fall very far, is it?" Ron shot back. "Harry's not stupid! He's not going to let him go very high at first, is he?"

"Ronald Weasley, if I ever catch you trying to teach our children to ride before they are at least five, you'll have a lot to answer for!"

"Just because you've never liked to fly, it doesn't mean our kids won't be allowed to ride a broom!" Ron shot back.

"I didn't say they won't be allowed," Hermione returned with an exasperated huff, "I only said that we're not going to start teaching them until they are old enough!"

The three of them had stopped walking and Ginny found herself in-between the couple, turning her head from one side to the other as they each argued their point.

"So, er, how many kids do you have?" Ginny asked rather loudly to be heard over them, hoping to stop their argument before it went too much farther.

"What?" Ron said, looking at his sister oddly.

Blushing slightly, Hermione replied, "We don't have any yet."

"But you're already getting mad at each other and arguing about when to teach the children that you don't yet have to fly?" Ginny found it disheartening that her brother and sister-in-law might be having marital problems so early in their marriage.

"Yeah, well, she's always been a bit unreasonable about certain things."

"Ronald…" Hermione growled warningly.

Ginny heard her brother grumble something that sounded like "I'm just saying…" under his breath.

"We're not mad at each other," Hermione added.

"Oh, uh… that's good," Ginny said, although she was not quite convinced.

"'Course not," Ron shrugged matter-of-factly as they stepped through the front gate to where they could now Apparate. "We argue like this all the time."

"We do not, Ron!" Hermione exclaimed and, unable to stop herself, Ginny burst out laughing.

Ron and Hermione stared at her, perplexed, for a moment, until Hermione grinned and then she, too, started to laugh along with her sister-in-law.

"What?" Ron demanded, scowling at both of them until the reason for their mirth finally dawned on him and he joined in.

Ron then took his sister by the hand and, as they Apparated, he thought about how wonderful it felt to finally be able to laugh again.

xxxxx

"Harry!"

Harry turned stiffly to see Alicia practically sprinting down the hallway towards him.

"I can't believe it!" She cried with a wide grin on her face as she gave him hug. In her excitement at seeing Harry alive, she gave him no chance to reply before she continued, "When Ron rushed out earlier, I figured something was up. I'm so glad to see that you're alright. And wait 'till you hear about the new lead we have! But first you have to tell me how you managed to get away from the Death Eaters! We were so afraid they—"

He clenched his jaw tightly when Alicia's hug shot waves of pain across his shoulders, but once she released him, he could not suppress a small grin at her enthusiastic greeting.

"I want to get everyone else together in Candlehard's office and I'll explain everything that happened—" he stopped in mid sentence when Alicia's words finally sunk in. "Hang on. Did you say you have a new lead? What is it?"

"Well," Alicia answered excitedly, "we're pretty sure we know how someone found out about Martha Pondergrass sending that owl to you."

"You do?" Harry asked, feeling a rush of excitement. Between the men he had seen while he was held captive and any additional information his team may have uncovered, they might finally get a break in tracking down Golden Mask's identity.

"We think it was Devlin Barrett, one of Candlehard's interns; she's assigned to review your mail," Alicia explained. "Seamus and I ran into Stacie, who told us that she recently confronted Devlin because Devlin was the one who opened your letter. Of course Devlin denies telling anyone about it, but Stacie doesn't believe her."

"Is Devlin still around?" Harry asked; he hoped Candlehard hadn't dismissed her because he wanted a chance to talk to her himself.

"Yeah, she's probably at her desk now," Alicia answered. "Stacie didn't want to say anything to Candlehard until she had more proof."

"Okay, then," Harry said, "We'll speak with her in a bit. Let's grab Kevin, Ben and Seamus and head over to Candlehard's office. At least some good came out of the Death Eaters capturing me because I now know who some of Golden Mask's followers are."

As they headed toward their office Harry decided to tell Alicia his best news.

"I discovered something else, too," Harry said and the tone of his voice made Alicia look over at him sharply.

"What?"

"I found Ginny," Harry stated simply.

"You found…" Alicia froze, looking at him incredulously. "Did I hear you right?"

"You did," Harry confirmed. "Ginny's alive."

"You're sure?" Alicia asked, her expression somewhere between hope and disbelief. "I mean, you've _seen_ her?"

"Not only have I seen her, I've spoken to her," Harry added.

"That's fabulous!" Alicia practically shouted, beaming, and then she lowered her voice when several people stopped abruptly to stare at Harry, including Harry's two least-favorite Internal Investigation Aurors, Svenson Jodfree and Jeremy Arnold. Harry gazed back at them coolly before both men turned to walk the other way.

"That's _amazing_!" Alicia continued. "Where has she been all this time— Wait, what's wrong? You don't seem that excited for a man who's found his long lost fiancée."

"There's, err, a bit of a complication," Harry replied, noticing that more and more people were now stopping to stare at him. Everyone must have heard about his capture by the Death Eaters at the park. Had that only been two days ago? Somehow it seemed that so much more time had gone by than that.

"I'll explain everything once we're in Candlehard's office."

They reached the door to their office but before they entered, Alicia said, "There's something I want to talk to you about without the others around."

Harry waited expectantly and she clarified, "It's about Ben."

"You decided to keep an eye on him, then?" Harry guessed. "I told you before that I don't like the idea of one member of the team spying on another."

"I know, but listen," Alicia said, undeterred. "Ben disappeared not long after we got back from checking out the park where the Death Eaters found you."

"What do you mean he disappeared?"

"Seamus and I wanted to talk to him and Kevin about what Stacie told us, but Ben was nowhere to be found."

"Maybe he had to leave early for some reason," Harry conjectured.

"It's not just that," Alicia continued. "It really seemed like he wanted to finish looking around at the park as quickly as possible. He kept saying that we'd seen all there was to see and that we might as well head back. It was like there was somewhere else he wanted to be. I just thought it was an odd way to react right after you'd gone missing."

"I wouldn't expect Ben to get all teary-eyed over something happening to me," Harry said matter-of-factly. "You know he's never liked me much, especially since that time I landed into him for his crack about Mudbloods."

"He also got in late today," Alicia went on as if she hadn't heard him, "and he was in the foulest mood I've ever seen him in. Now here you are having just escaped the Death Eaters…"

"So you think," Harry speculated with raised eyebrows, "it all means that he's in league with them?"

Alicia's suspicions brought to mind Ron's comment from a few weeks back about whether Hasmond Carrow's death in the raid several months earlier had really been an accident. Had Ben ensured a potential suspect fell out of the building to his death to keep him from being questioned?

"I'm just pointing out that the Death Eaters made another move but you managed to escape them," Alicia said, arms crossed. "Now Ben's been acting strange the past few days. We suspect there's at least one leak in the Ministry. I just have to wonder whether it's really just a coincidence."

Was there merit to Alicia's suspicions? Harry thought back to his captivity at Malfoy Manor; was it possible Ben had been one of the Death Eaters who had remained masked, or even Golden Mask himself? Having Ben on his team had never felt right to him, and Harry had never wanted him in the first place. The possibility that someone so close to him and the investigation was involved with Golden Mask in some way was extremely unnerving.

"Anything's possible," Harry replied slowly. "Let's keep an eye on him."

When Harry and Alicia stepped through the door into their office, a hush immediately descended throughout the entire room. Kevin, Ben and Seamus were seated at their desks, and when they saw him, Harry watched Ben's reaction to his appearance, but he seemed just as surprised as the other two.

"Harry!" Seamus called, "it's great to see you, mate!"

"Yeah," Kevin said smiling, "after we found no sign of you, we could only think the worst."

"How'd you manage to get away from them?" Ben asked, and then he added quickly, "Not that we aren't all happy to see you, of course."

"Sure you are," Alicia mumbled under her breath and Harry shot her a warning look.

"I came by to ask you to come to Candlehard's office," Harry said. "I'll explain everything when we get there."

"What about Ron?" Seamus asked. "He found a note from Hermione and he left a while ago. He didn't say when he'd be back."

"Ron has something to take care of," Harry replied. "But I've already had a chance to fill him in."

Stacie was overjoyed to see Harry when he walked into the office accompanied by his team, and

several other people called out to him in greeting. The director stepped out of his office to see what all the commotion was about and he, too, was surprised, but pleased at Harry's presence.

Harry spoke briefly to Stacie in a hushed tone and when she nodded her understanding of his request, he followed the rest of his team into the Director's office and closed the door. Harry spent the next half hour telling them about finding Ginny alive, her loss of memory and of his encounter with Golden Mask and the other Death Eaters. He also provided them with the names or descriptions of the Death Eaters whose faces he had seen. The only time anyone interrupted him is when he first mentioned that the Death Eaters had taken him to Malfoy Manor and of Draco's involvement.

"Funny we didn't hear about Malfoy doing anything suspicious while you were following him," Alicia said, looking at Ben with a raised eyebrow.

"That's because he didn't do or say anything suspicious while I was following him," Ben snapped irritably, taking obvious exception to Alicia's comment.

Harry finished by telling them about Malfoy actually being the one who took Ginny and him to safety and what Draco had told him at Andromeda's.

"Ron and Hermione will be taking Ginny to The Burrow later today and Hermione has made Ginny an appointment at Saint Mungo's for tomorrow morning. We're hoping that being in familiar surroundings and having people from her family around her will help her to regain her memory.

"In the meantime," Harry continued, "I want to split up the names of the Death Eaters I've identified and start tracking them down. Of course they know that I'll be reporting what I saw, so I'm sure they'll be expecting Aurors to come after them. Therefore, I think it will be safer for us to work in pairs. Starting tomorrow, Alicia, I want you to work with Ben, Kevin with Seamus and I'll pair up with Ron."

"Good idea," Candlehard stated. "I don't want anyone to confront any of the suspects alone because it may be too dangerous. In the mean time, I'll send another team out to check out Malfoy Manor."

"And what about Malfoy?" Seamus asked. "I'm surprised you didn't arrest the slimy git and bring him in."

"I was going to, but then I thought better of it," Harry replied, "at least for now."

"But from what I've heard you say about him," Kevin interjected, "aren't you afraid he'll run? Or that the Death Eaters will try to get to him to keep him from providing any more information?"

"He won't run," Harry stated.

"How can you be sure?" Candlehard asked gruffly. "I want him arrested and in custody. The Auror department cannot allow suspects to indiscriminately walk free, Harry."

"With all due respect, sir," Harry countered, "I believe Malfoy will be more helpful and safer if he is kept away from the Ministry and somewhere the Death Eaters can't find him. At least until we find out who around here is working with Golden Mask."

"Where is he then?" Ben asked curiously.

"Somewhere safe," Harry replied vaguely and then he addressed Director Candlehard. "He's staying at an Unplotable location, but I will be able to get in touch with him if we need him. Malfoy's not the courageous type, so I think it's highly unlikely he'll dare go anywhere else if there's even the slightest chance that they could find him."

Candlehard considered Harry's comments for a moment. "Alright, but if it does come time to bring him in and he's nowhere to be found, it will be on your head."

"I understand, sir," Harry acknowledged. He was as certain as he could be that Narcissa would keep her word and that Draco would remain at her cottage. If he was wrong and Malfoy did make a run for it, Harry promised himself that he would not rest until he was caught.

"Okay then, sounds like we have our work cut out for us," Candlehard replied. "If there is nothing more, I suggest you all start tracking down the Death Eaters Harry's identified first thing in the morning."

"There is one more thing, sir," Harry said. "Alicia and Seamus have some information pertaining to the leak regarding the owl I received from Martha Pondergrass."

"What is it?" Candlehard asked.

The two Aurors gave a brief account of what Alicia had told Harry earlier and once they were finished, Harry said, "On our way in, I asked Stacie to make sure that Devlin doesn't leave for the day before I get a chance to speak with her. I'd like to ask her to step in here for a few minutes."

"Have her come in." Candlehard was frowning darkly, "Stacie warned me about that girl before we hired her for the intern position. I should have pushed back on her uncle more when he insisted that she be placed in this office!"

Harry poked his head out of the office and gave Stacie a brief nod.

"Go on in, Devlin," he heard Stacie say.

Devlin Barrett's blue eyes widened in surprise to see Harry holding the door open for her. She then let out a nervous gasp when she entered the office and saw that Harry's entire team was in the room as well.

"Good afternoon, Miss Barrett, is it?" Candlehard greeted the girl with cool formality as Harry shut the door and walked over to stand next to the director's desk.

Devlin only nodded affirmatively, seemingly too nervous to speak.

"Please take a seat," Candlehard said, indicating a chair he had just conjured in front of his desk.

Devlin was quite young, Harry guessed no more than eighteen or nineteen and her robes were made of a rather expensive material. Her well-manicured hands were trembling and her frightened eyes remained on him as she slowly sank into the chair.

"Hello, Devlin," Harry said, holding out his hand in greeting and giving her what he hoped came across as a friendly smile. "I'm Auror Potter, although you probably already know that, I suppose?"

"Oh, yes!" Devlin replied breathlessly.

She took Harry's hand into hers, which he had to pull back with a bit of effort because she seemed most reluctant to let it go.

"And this is the rest of my team," Harry continued, working to keep the pleasant tone in his voice, "Aurors Finnegan, Spinnet, Anderson and Weaver.

"What? Oh, hello," she said, turning to the others before quickly looking back at Harry, seemingly quite star-struck.

Harry found the girl's reaction to him irritating, but since the end of the war he had reluctantly become used to people, especially young witches, looking at him in much the same way. This time, however, he hoped that he could use it to his advantage. Harry assumed Director Candlehard was thinking the same thing since he remained quiet, allowing Harry to do the talking.

"We just have a few question for you, Devlin," Harry said, pulling his chair around so he could sit directly in front of her. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees and kept his eyes focused on hers. "I'm really hoping you'll be able to help us out."

"I… S-sure. Anything!" Devlin stammered and her eyes grew even wider. Seamus made an amused sound in the back of his throat which Harry ignored; however, he appreciated the subtle jab in the ribs he saw Alicia give him out of the corner of his eye.

"I'm told that you're the one who opened the Owl message the other day from someone who said they had information for me about Ginny Weasley."

Devlin suddenly looked down at her hands and answered in a quiet voice, "Um, yes, I did."

"I wanted to thank you personally for bringing it to our attention," Harry said cajolingly. "It turned out to be very helpful."

"Really? I-it did?" Devlin replied looking back at Harry excitedly. "How?"

"Well, I can't really go into the details due to our on-going investigation," Harry replied, reminding himself to smile pleasantly. "You understand."

"Of course," Devlin answered, although she looked disappointed.

"Unfortunately," Harry continued, "someone was able to get to the informant, Martha Pondergrass, before we arrived. She died before she could tell us much."

"I know," Devlin said in a small voice, gazing back at her hands again. "I read about it in the paper, and I heard people in the office talking about it."

"Devlin," Harry said softly, "did you tell anyone about the owl, maybe in passing or unintentionally?"

Devlin kept her head bowed and she shook her head, but Harry saw several tears drip onto the girl's hands as she sniffed.

Harry pulled out his wand, conjured a handkerchief and handed it to her. He gave her a moment to collect herself and then he placed his hand gently on hers.

As her tear-filled eyes looked up at him miserably, Harry said, "I'm sure you'd never mean for anything bad to happen, but I need to know if you did tell someone." Devlin opened her mouth to protest, but Harry continued, "Very few people knew where Martha Pondergrass asked me to meet her. It will mean a lot to me if you help me; if you tell me the truth."

"I'm so sorry!" Devlin moaned and burst into tears. "I th-thought he c-cared about me! I thought…"

Harry took both of her hands into his, feeling a rush of excitement. Stacie had been right; the girl had given the information to someone.

"Who, Devlin?" Harry coaxed. "Who did you tell?"

"My b-boyfriend," she sobbed. "We've only been g-going out a few months but we really c-clicked, you know?"

"What's your boyfriend's name?" Harry asked.

"T-Tim. Tim Jeffrees," Devlin replied into the handkerchief. "He's always been so n-nice and th-thoughtful and interested in whatever I wanted to t-talk about! After I realized that the owl really m-meant something to you, I wanted to share the news with Tim and I sent a note right off to him. But I c-can't believe he's involved in k-killing someone! He t-told me was falling in love with m-me!"

Devlin began to cry even harder and Harry conjured another handkerchief for her. He looked across the room to the other four Aurors but they all shook their heads in answer to his silent question. None of them had heard of Tim Jeffrees either.

"Devlin…" Harry tried to gain her attention through her continued tears, "Does Tim Jeffrees work in the Ministry?"

"N-no," she replied shaking her head. "He said he works for some private Wizarding company and he has to travel a lot. We met at one of the pubs nearby."

"Can you tell me where he lives, then?" Harry asked.

"No," Devlin said, looking up at Harry, her lips trembling. "He always insisted on picking me up at my parents' house. I thought he was being gentlemanly, you know?"

Harry fought a hard-won battle to keep from rolling his eyes in frustration. "When was the last time you saw him?"

"We had a date less than a week ago…" Devlin said. "That's the last time I saw or heard from him because he never—"

Devlin suddenly looked as if she was going to burst into tears again. "He never responded to the owl I sent him about your meeting with Martha Pondergrass! H-he was just using me, wasn't he? He was only pretending to care so I would give him information!"

Then Devlin flung herself at Harry and she began to cry again in earnest against his shoulder.

"Er… Devlin?" Harry said, patting her on the back uncomfortably and tossing a pleading look toward the members of his team. Not only were her arms putting painful pressure on his wounded shoulders, but he had never figured out how to handle crying girls very well.

Alicia tutted in disgust, although Harry could not tell whether it was directed at Devlin or at him, and she came over to gently pry the younger girl off of him while offering words of sympathy.

As Alicia comforted Devlin, Harry turned to Director Candlehard and said quietly, "I'd like to request permission to pull a memory from her. Then at least we'll have a face to go with the name."

"Permission granted," Candlehard answered, "as long as you get Miss Barrett's consent."

"I'll take care of it," Alicia said confidently, keeping an arm around Devlin. "I should have his picture ready for distribution first thing tomorrow."

"Good," Candlehard said. Once Alicia had taken Devlin out of the office, the director continued, "Issue arrest warrants for the people you were able to positively identify and, Harry, I want daily updates on your team's progress."

"Yes, sir," Harry replied as the rest of them filed out the door.

"Sorry about Ginny's memory and all, mate," Seamus said sympathetically as they walked back to their office. "That's got to be tough. Although who'd have guessed that Malfoy would have enough guts to catch Ginny right under Golden Mask's nose, not to mention be the one to get you both away from him."

"I'm still surprised, myself," Harry replied. "But I guess I have to be grateful to him that he saved her life."

"As well as yours," Ben added.

Harry ignored Ben's comment, but his faced darkened, "It still felt really good to break the bloody bastard's nose, though."

"You did?" Seamus exclaimed, grinning suddenly. "Oh, I wish I was there to see that!"

"He may have saved Ginny," Harry said tersely, "but he should have taken her straight to Saint Mungo's. If he had, then she would not have been in so much danger and they might have sorted out the problem with her memory by now."

"True, but you said she's going in tomorrow," Kevin said supportively. "I'm sure they'll still be able to find some way to bring her memory back."

"I hope you're right," Harry replied fervently.

"Hey, it's getting late," Ben said abruptly, looking at his watch, "and I have an appointment I need to get to."

Harry frowned after Ben as he watched him hurry off, and then checked his own watch to find that it was already well past six-thirty. He was going to be very late if he still planned on going to The Burrow for dinner.

"Come on," Harry said wearily. "Let's get the paperwork for the arrest warrants done before we leave and that way we'll be able to distribute them in the morning."

"You look exhausted, Harry," Kevin said. "Why don't you let Seamus and I handle the paperwork?" Seamus opened his mouth like he was about to protest, but Kevin shot him a warning look. "We have the names you gave us, so it really won't take that long to get it done."

"Yeah, sure," Seamus said reluctantly. "We'll take care of it."

"Thanks," Harry said, grateful that he'd now be able to get to The Burrow not to mention get to see Ginny that much sooner. "I'll start looking into finding Tim Jeffrees in the morning, but I'll owe you one."

"Yes you will," Seamus grumbled.

"Hang in there, Harry," Kevin said as Harry turned to leave. "Everything will all work out in the end, you'll see."


	24. The Burrow

** Chapter 24 – The Burrow **

A/N- I know this chapter ended up taking way too long to finally post- and after I promised to get it out quickly. It turned out that upon re-reading it for what I thought was the final time, I found parts that I still didn't like. I started to rewrite some of it but then got hit with a bout of writer's block and so I decided to step away for a bit. We are pretty close to coming into the home-stretch now and I do appreciate those of you who have stuck with this story. So please, read on and I hope you enjoy…

x

x

They had arrived! In just a few moments, she would at last see her parents and possibly several of her brothers. If the members of her family were even remotely as wonderful as Harry had described them, she would be beyond thrilled.

Standing very still, Ginny slowly took in the tall, crooked building which Ron had fondly referred to as 'The Burrow', and its surroundings. She counted six stories in all, each seemingly placed hodge-podge, one on top of the other. One could only assume the entire structure was held together by magic for it looked as if it might topple over at any moment. Numerous chickens pecked at the ground amongst old boots and cauldrons near the front door as well as throughout the rest yard that was set between the house and a small stone building; there was another small out building on the other side of the house as well.

Even though the yard looked somewhat unkempt, it offered Ginny a strong sense of welcome all the same. She could imagine a small red haired girl, grinning cheekily over her shoulder as she snuck out the door toward the building where they kept their brooms; if she was lucky and quiet enough, she might be able to ride for at least twenty minutes without anyone being the wiser. Then she imagined herself flying on her own broom in the nearby orchard. Someone was beside her and when she looked over at him, he smiled. She could read the good-natured challenge in his eyes as he began to pass her and she immediately took off after him, determined to beat him this time—

Ginny tried to hold on to the image, willing herself to see more, but the world around her suddenly lurched alarmingly and she quickly closed her eyes.

"Are you okay?" Ron asked worriedly when Ginny squeezed his hand to steady herself.

"I'm, uh… yeah," Ginny replied vaguely, redoubling her effort to bring back more detail of what she had just envisioned. She, of course, was the small red haired girl sneaking toward the broom shed. But she was much older in the second vision, and when she looked over at the man flying beside her, she could swear that a pair of emerald-green eyes had met her own. Was it a memory of her past with Harry trying to surface? If it was, the feeling it evoked within her was certainly not one of fear, but one of fun and exhilaration.

"Ginny?"

She opened her eyes to see both Ron and Hermione looking at her worriedly.

"I'm fine," she said, releasing her brother's hand and forcing a smile. "I just felt a little dizzy for a moment. But I'm fine, now."

Ron seemed to accept her words because he started walking towards the house, but Hermione was not convinced.

"Really, Hermione, I'm okay," Ginny insisted.

Before Hermione could question her further, Ginny followed after Ron, leaving their long shadows cast by the low hanging sun behind them.

They had not taken more than a few steps before a happy shriek issued from within the house and Ginny looked up to see a plump woman with reddish hair racing towards them with her arms held wide. Three men followed right behind her; a tall, thin, older man and two younger men, both with hair nearly the same shade of red as her own.

Ginny had no time to get a good look at her mother's face before the woman reached her and pulled her into a bone-crushing hug, sobbing uncontrollably.

"_Oh, my baby! My baby!"_ Molly cried in Ginny's ear, hugging her daughter ever tighter.

The feeling of her mother's arms around her was like being wrapped in a warm blanket of pure comfort. In that moment, it did not matter to Ginny that she was unable to remember her past or her mother's face, because every instinct was telling her that she was home at last. The weeks of fear and loneliness and worry about where she belonged melted away as Ginny reciprocated the heart-felt emotion of her mother's embrace. What passed between mother and daughter as they held each other defied mere human words, for each was receiving exactly what she so desperately needed and wanted; Molly had her cherished daughter back, alive and in her arms, and Ginny basked in the soothing reassurance that only a mother's unconditional love could provide.

Slowly, Ginny became aware of someone else kissing the top of her head, with his arms wrapped around both her and her mother. Ginny looked over her mother's shoulder into the tear-filled blue eyes of her father and smiled.

"Daddy?" She asked thickly and the man nodded. Unable to utter words of his own, his embrace around his wife and daughter grew stronger.

After what could have been several moments or several hours, Ginny felt her parents' hold loosen and her mother stepped back to cup her daughter's face tenderly between her hands. Her eyes darted back and forth quickly, drinking in every feature of the girl before her. Ginny noticed that her mother's tear-filled eyes were the exact same shade of brown that she saw when she scrutinized her own face in the mirror.

"You really have come back to us!" Molly whispered in wonder as Ginny, in turn, studied her mother's slightly lined but kind, tear-streaked face.

"I have," Ginny acknowledged and the tingling sensation behind her eyes warned that more tears of happiness were about to begin once more.

"Oh, Ginny, we've been blessed with such a miracle!" her mother exclaimed, hugging her again.

"Now don't go keeping her all to yourself!" Arthur said cheerfully, wiping tears from his eyes. "A father should get to hug his daughter, too."

He held his arms wide and Ginny immediately stepped into her father's embrace and she heard him say fervently in a choked whisper, "Welcome home, Sunshine."

"And what are we? Flobberworms?" One of the red heads beside her father demanded, although he was grinning widely.

"George!" Ginny exclaimed.

The two younger men exchanged bewildered expressions. "You remember us?" George asked. "But I thought Harry just told Dad—"

"Harry's here?" Ginny asked anxiously, feeling an immediate, nervous flutter in her stomach. She quickly scanned the yard and, not seeing him, she wondered why he had not come out to greet her along with the rest of the family.

"He came by a little while ago to give us the news that he had found you," her father said, wiping his eyes again, "but he wanted to go to the Ministry to report everything that's happened."

"And I must say," Molly added, dabbing at her eyes with her apron, "I do believe that he was right to let us know first, because if he hadn't, I would have died from shock right on the spot when I saw you coming."

"Then I'm very thankful that he told you," Ginny said, accepting a joyful hug from George, although her mind was still on Harry. She could not determine which was stronger: her relief that she would not have to face him quite yet, or her disappointment that she had no idea when she would get to see him again.

Taking firm control of her warring emotions, Ginny answered George's question. "I'm sorry to say that I still can't remember anything about my past, but I asked Harry to tell me about my family and he gave me a fairly detailed description of each of you."

"That explains it then," George stated smugly. "You obviously recognized me right away because he told you that I'm the best looking brother you have."

"Yeah, something like that," Ginny said, laughing and she turned her attention to the other redhead.

"Hello, Ginny," he said in a tone much too formal for the circumstances.

"And I'm betting that you're Percy," Ginny correctly guessed, as he embraced her.

"Obviously Harry described our dear brother's austere personality to perfection," George said, flashing his older brother a wide, mocking grin when Percy scowled at him.

"I wonder if Harry also told her we nicknamed him Pretentious Pompous Percy," Ron said under his breath, although everyone heard him.

"Boys!" Molly chastised her sons. "What's your sister supposed to think when you all start up the moment she arrives?"

"She's going to think she's very lucky she's part of a big wonderful family," Ginny answered with a chuckle. Then, even though George had come close to guessing Harry's description of Percy, she smiled at him, "It was simple deduction to figure out which brother you are, actually. I've already met Ron and just now, George. Your hair is short and you don't have an earring, so you can't be Bill, and you certainly don't look like you have been working with dragons for several years, so you aren't Charlie. You're also wearing the glasses that Harry described, so therefore you can only be Percy.

"And speaking of Bill and Charlie, will I be able to meet them soon, too?" Ginny asked hopefully.

"Bill will be arriving with Fleur and Victoire any time now," her father answered. "Unfortunately, Charlie is off somewhere helping the Norwegians track down a couple of dragons that escaped from their national preserve, but I left word for him to contact us as soon as he can."

"Well, let's not just stand here!" Molly exclaimed, taking Ginny by the arm to lead her toward the house. "We can all chat and catch up inside. Now, Ginny dear, I'm making all of your favorites, or at least as many as I can on such short notice. When Harry told us that he'd found you and promised us that Ron and Hermione would be bringing you home at any moment, well, there just wasn't enough time to prepare everything."

"You don't have to go to so much trouble," Ginny insisted. When her mother shooed away her protests, she added, "Really, Mum, it's enough to get to see you and everyone and to know that I'm finally home."

"It's no trouble at all!" her mother replied and she gave Ginny's arm a squeeze. "It wouldn't be right if we didn't celebrate your homecoming."

When they stepped through the door into the Burrow's kitchen, Ginny was met with the most mouth watering aroma she could have imagined. There were pots cooking on the stove, potatoes and parsnips peeling themselves near the sink and several pies sitting on the table ready to be put into the oven to bake. The kitchen itself was not very large, and much of the space was taken up by an old table, worn and scarred from many years of use by the large family. Overall, Ginny thought it had to be the most wonderful and cozy kitchen she'd ever see.

As Ginny looked around at every detail of the room, her mother could not help but give her another hug and whisper under her breath, "Oh, Ginny, thank God you're home!"

Ginny smiled warmly at her mother, "I still can't remember being here before, but even so, there's something about everything that just seems… right."

"Maybe familiar surroundings will help bring your memory back," Hermione offered. "However, you should still keep your appointment at Saint Mungo's tomorrow."

"Of course we will, and thank you for setting it up for us," Molly said, patting her daughter-in-law affectionately on the arm, then she turned to her daughter. "Would you like to go freshen up a bit? Hermione can show you where everything is."

"That'll be great, Mum, thanks," Ginny replied gratefully. She was feeling rather tired already, even with the excitement of meeting her family, and a splash of cool water on her face sounded heavenly at the moment.

Hermione led her out of the kitchen and into the living room. It was not a very big room, and all of the furniture was rather shabby and the carpet covering the wood floor was threadbare. There was a wooden wireless set along one wall and a distressed wooden sideboard along the other. The furniture faced a large stone fireplace with a row of framed pictures lined up along the mantle, which she went over to examine.

The center photograph showed her entire family all waving excitedly which, judging by the pyramids in the background, had been taken in Egypt. Next to that were multiple smaller pictures which she assumed were each of the Weasley siblings when they were much younger. There was a portrait of one of her brothers in fine robes, smiling happily into the eyes of a beautiful young blond woman in a simple white gown. Ginny assumed the couple to be her brother Bill and her Veela sister-in-law, Fleur. Next to this were several smaller pictures of a very blond little girl, most likely her young niece, Victoire. Another photo was of the twins, George and Fred, dressed in identical dragon hide jackets standing in front of a shop with a bold sign overhead that read "Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes."

Then Ginny's heart skipped a few beats when she looked upon a photograph of herself and Harry standing cheek-to-cheek with their arms around each other, smiling happily at the camera. As she examined it, Ginny in the photograph placed her hands on both sides of Harry's face and then planted a kiss firmly on his lips. At first, the photo-Harry seemed completely taken by surprise, but then he reciprocated and the kiss soon escalated into an extremely passionate snog. Ginny watched with raised eyebrows at what she considered a rather bold display of affection, given the photograph's prominent location on the mantle right in her parents' living room.

"Oh, my," Hermione commented when she saw the zealous antics of the subjects in the photo. "I've never seen them act like that before, or at least they've never been so, uh…"

"Demonstrative?" Ginny finished, continuing to watch the couple in the picture.

"Yeah," Hermione replied. Then she added meaningfully, "You think maybe they're trying to tell you something?"

"Hmm," was all Ginny would comment. Refusing to rise to her sister-in-law's bait, she pulled her eyes away from the photo to follow Hermione up the stairs.

"The bathroom is over there, and this is your bedroom," Hermione said, stopping on the first floor landing to open the door for Ginny to step through. "I don't think your mum has been up to disturbing anything in here, so it still looks pretty much the same as it did before you, ah, disappeared."

The room was small, but there was a good amount of light coming in through the lone window which, when she stepped over to look out, she saw faced the orchard. A fading poster of the musical group, The Weird Sisters, was on one wall and several various sized red and gold banners with "Gryffindor" emblazoned across them were intermixed with others from the Holyhead Harpies on another wall. There was a framed photo of herself and Harry on the desk near the window, but she purposely avoided looking at it in case its occupants decided to initiate a snogging session of their own.

The door to the room's small closet was open and a long garment bag hung from the top of the door. Curious, Ginny unzipped it to look at the contents.

"Your wedding gown," Hermione said unnecessarily. Ginny spread the bag open so she could see it better and she could not hold back a astonished intake of breath.

From what she could tell with the dress still on the hanger, the slim ivory-colored bodice would fit close to her form and, although it was overlaid with soft, delicate lace appliqué, it was not overly frilly. The light sleeves were made of the same sheer lace and the silk skirt was harder to see in detail, but it, too, seemed feminine without being garishly so. To her, the dress was perfect in every way and absolutely beautiful.

"It looks even more stunning on you," Hermione said quietly from behind her.

With slightly trembling fingers, Ginny zipped the bag back up, noticing there were very few other clothes in the closet. It seemed odd that her mother chose to leave the wedding gown but had removed everything else.

Guessing the reason for her friend's furrowed brow, Hermione said, "The rest of your things were sent to your house."

"I have a house?" Ginny questioned, surprised by this new revelation and the fact that she had not given any thought to where she might have been living before the attack.

"Actually you and Harry have a cottage," Hermione corrected and Ginny's stomach clenched nervously. The fact that she lived with Harry was something she had not considered, either. "You bought it together a few months before the wedding, but you didn't have all of your stuff sent there until a few days before you were to be married. Although I always thought that was rather silly, really."

"Why was that?" Ginny frowned.

"It wasn't like you were here much anyway, was it?" Hermione said with a slight laugh. "When you weren't traveling with the Harpies, you usually stayed at your cottage with Harry. But so you could say that you weren't officially living with him, you kept a lot of your clothes and other things here to, let's see, how did you put it? to 'appease your mother's old-fashioned sense of outdated morality'. I was rather surprised you caved because you do have a stubborn streak; a common Weasley trait, by the way. But I think Harry had more to do with the arrangement than anything."

"He did?" Ginny's frown deepened, wondering how much influence Harry had had over the decisions she made.

"Harry's always had the utmost respect for your parents," Hermione replied, "and your mother made it clear that she did not approve of her daughter living outright with her fiancé before they were married. Harry didn't want to offend her and he somehow finally convinced you to consider leaving most of your things here as compromise before war broke out between you and your mum."

Hermione shook her head and laughed, "I still remember the look on Harry's face when Ron and I ran out of the room and left him standing there between you and your mum yelling at each other. He was scared to death, if you can imagine it! Ron still teases him about it. There was Harry Potter, completely petrified by his future mother-in-law and his fiancée; the very man who had had the courage to stand alone before the darkest wizard of our time and put an end to—"

Hermione halted abruptly, the expression on her face much like a child who had just given away a secret that she should not have.

"Go on," Ginny urged. "Are you talking about the one referred to as the Dark Lord?"

At the look of surprise on Hermione's face, Ginny explained, "Draco said something about Harry being instrumental in the Dark Lord's defeat. Is that who you meant?"

"Um, yeah," Hermione replied reluctantly. "But I really don't think I should…"

"But you can't just stop there!" Ginny exclaimed in exasperation. "Earlier you said something about if I could remember everything he's done. So why not tell me now? Don't you think I should know more about him given the fact that we were engaged?"

"Harry didn't tell you anything at all about himself or his past when you talked to him earlier?" Hermione asked carefully.

"Not really; just that his parents died when he was young and that he was raised by his mother's family," Ginny replied. "Although, I assume they are the Muggles that you told me about who were so horrible to him."

"Yes, they were," Hermione replied sitting on the edge of the bed. "But his parents didn't just die; they were murdered."

"Murdered?" Ginny sat down on the bed next to her sister-in-law, horrified. "By whom?"

"By Lord Voldemort, or the Dark Lord, as his followers, the Death Eaters, referred to him," Hermione answered. "Before Harry was born, Voldemort had been gaining power throughout Britain and things were horrible; people lived in fear day in and day out, afraid of what Voldemort or his Death Eaters would do next. At some point, Voldemort learned of a prophecy that told of a boy who would be born at the end of July with the power to defeat him. He assumed it meant Harry, which Harry's parents learned, so they went into hiding. Someone whom they had trusted betrayed them by telling Voldemort where they were and when Harry's parents tried to protect him, Voldemort killed them. When he then tried to kill Harry, the curse rebounded and hit Voldemort instead. His mother's love and sacrifice had protected him."

Ginny listened silently, completely enraptured as Hermione continued, "Voldemort had taken precautions to ensure that he would not die, so when his own Killing Curse struck him, he didn't; he became kind of like a spirit, but most in the Wizarding world thought him to be gone and that somehow, even though he was just a baby, Harry had destroyed him. Harry has actually been quite famous since he was a year old."

"Voldemort ended up coming back, though?" Ginny asked, feeling a chill ran through her body.

"He did," Hermione confirmed. "Voldemort captured Harry during our fourth year at Hogwarts to use his blood in a ritual that restored his body."

"But obviously Harry was able to get away, otherwise…"

"He escaped, but just barely," Hermione replied; there was a sad, far-off look in her eyes as she remembered. "Cedric Diggory wasn't so lucky. I still remember the moment Harry appeared out of nowhere that night, clutching Cedric's dead body. I can hardly believe that he was only fourteen at the time. He had nightmares about that night for quite a while. Ron and Harry were in the same dormitory and Ron told me that, for over a year, Harry would often wake up yelling. I don't think Harry ever realized that some of the nights he forgot to cast a Silencing Charm, Ron heard him. I also think Harry felt guilty, even though there was no reason that he should."

"Why would he feel guilty?" Ginny asked. "Wasn't it a miracle that he escaped at all?"

"Well, it would be natural for Harry to feel guilty for surviving when Cedric Diggory, who was there with him, was murdered by Voldemort," Hermione answered. "But Cedric happened to be going out with Cho Chang, who Harry fancied at the time. I think that made it worse. Although, Harry and Cho did end up together for a while the following year, but that didn't last long."

"Hold on!" Ginny exclaimed as one puzzle piece settled into place. "Draco told me that the boyfriend of a girl Harry fancied had been killed. He made it sound like Harry's unstable so he may have had something to do with it."

"That little ferret!" Hermione exclaimed indignantly. "I assure you, Harry is _not_ unstable! On the contrary, I'd say that he's turned out extremely well-adjusted given everything he's gone through. The idea that Harry would be involved in murder, or that he's unstable is completely ridiculous! Ginny…"

Hermione paused a moment as if she was trying to choose her next words carefully. "I know Draco Malfoy saved your life, and I completely understand how you could feel a sense of gratitude towards him; but you are going to have to take everything he's told you with a grain of salt. You can't judge Harry by anything that Malfoy has said about him. He _hates_ Harry and, frankly, I'm surprised that he helped Harry escape instead of leaving him at the mercy of Death Eaters."

"I don't think he wanted to, at least not at first," Ginny replied quietly, looking down at her hands. She wondered herself whether Draco would have ultimately left Harry to die at the hands of the Death Eaters if she had not insisted on taking him with them.

"Well that demonstrates the difference between the two of them for you," Hermione stated, crossing her arms matter-of-factly.

"What do you mean?" Ginny asked.

"When it comes to helping others, no matter who they are, doing the right thing and just plain courage, Draco never has, nor will he ever measure up to Harry. I bet Draco didn't tell you that Harry saved his life during the Battle of Hogwarts, did he?"

Ginny shook her head, "No, he didn't."

"There's a surprise," Hermione muttered sarcastically under her breath. "During the Battle, Ron, Harry and I, along with Draco and two of his friends were caught in a fire," Hermione explained. "The flames were all around us, chasing us."

At Ginny's quizzical look, Hermione added, "One of Draco's friends conjured Fiendfyre, a cursed fire, and sent it after Harry, Ron and me, but he didn't know how to control it, so it went after all of us. Thankfully, the three of us found brooms, but even so, we were barely able to stay above the fire while we searched for a way out. By then we had no idea what had happened to the others. Then, just as the three of us were nearing safety, Harry spotted two of them, Draco and Gregory Goyle. Without even thinking, Harry turned around and went back, right into the middle of the fire to help them. We barely got out of there with our lives. So, even though Draco's friends had tried to kill him, Harry still risked his life to save them."

Then Hermione narrowed her eyes and asked, "What else did Malfoy tell you about Harry?"

"Not much, really," Ginny said shrugging. "Just that he's full of himself, loves publicity and believes himself to be some great gift to the Wizarding world —what's so funny?"

"I guess I shouldn't be surprised that's what he'd tell you," Hermione said, her tone both amused and annoyed. "But if anything, Harry is the complete opposite of all that! He's always hated attention of any kind, even though I suppose he's had to get used to it since it does seem to follow him wherever he goes. But it is true that both the Wizarding and Muggle worlds owe him their gratitude."

"Because he stopped the darkest wizard of our time?"

"Yes," Hermione affirmed. "In the end, it all came down to just Harry against Voldemort, which was how it was always meant to be, I suppose."

"How did he do it?" Ginny asked. "How did Harry actually stop Voldemort?"

"That's a long and involved story," Hermione answered slowly, "and I think it's something that Harry should tell you himself. He doesn't like to talk about it very much and, as far as I know, the only people he's ever told the whole story of what happened that night are Ron, you and me. There may have been more that he eventually told you, but of course I have no way of knowing that for sure."

Hermione stood up and headed for the door, "Your mum is going to wonder what's taking so long, so why don't you go and freshen up, and I'll see you downstairs."

Ginny wanted to beg her sister-in-law to stay because, not only did she want to hear more about Harry, she was very curious to learn how he had managed to defeat a powerful dark wizard that the rest of the world feared.

But at least she had learned something; Harry was not a murderer and he had not been responsible for Cedric Diggory's death. Nor was he, according to Hermione anyway, unstable or a publicity-seeking git.

However, nothing that Hermione told her addressed the reason she felt the need to be wary of Harry, for it did not provide insight into to her frightening dreams. If Harry was not the dark-haired monster in her nightmares, then who was?

Pondering this question, Ginny went into the bathroom where she drew cool water into the sink and pulled out a towel from the tiny linen cabinet. Once the sink was sufficiently full, she turned off the faucet and splashed water on her face, grateful for the sudden chill that served to revive her mind and senses. After drying her face gently with the towel, she contemplated her pale reflection in the mirror, as well as the unexpected relief that settled upon her during her conversation with Hermione.

Up until then, she had not realized how heavily her inability to reconcile Draco's description of Harry's questionable character against her supposed acquiesce to marriage to him had been weighing on her mind; she could not fathom what had possessed her to consent to wedding Harry in the first place.

Gorgeous green eyes or not, if what Draco told her about Harry was true, then any girl with even a miniscule amount of common sense should have run away from him as fast as she could. On the other hand, if what Hermione said was true (_and you might as well face it,_ she thought to herself, _you _want _Hermione's view on the matter to be the truth_), then her own judge of character was not in question, for Draco's portrayal of Harry was completely inaccurate.

"So, Ginny, which is it?" She whispered to the concerned woman staring back at her from the mirror. "Is Harry Potter the man of your dreams, or has he fooled nearly everyone into believing he's something that he's not?"

xxxxxxx

When Ginny entered the kitchen, a tall man wearing his red hair pulled back in a pony-tail walked swiftly towards her. From Harry's description, she immediately recognized her eldest brother, but with his wide grin and eyes bright with emotion, the scars left from his encounter with a savage werewolf years earlier were barely noticeable.

"Ginny!" Bill exclaimed, halting for only a brief moment to allow his eyes to linger on her before gathering her into his arms. "I sure have missed you, baby sister!"

He lifted her completely off the ground with ease and spun her around in a circle which was not a simple feat given the lack of room available in the kitchen. "When Dad told us, I was afraid it was just a dream! But here you are!"

When at last he set her on her feet, a stunning blond woman approached them.

"Eet eez such a miracle zat you are alive!" Fleur exclaimed as tears of happiness filled her beautiful blue eyes and she, too, embraced her sister-in-law.

There was not a dry eye in the room as everyone began speaking all at once, and Ginny had to keep wiping away her own joyful tears that stubbornly refused to be stemmed. This was not a wishful dream from which she would regret waking. She was finally where she belonged and with the people who loved her; she was indeed home!

As her parents, brothers and Hermione filled Bill in on those details that they knew of Ginny and Harry's capture and return, Fleur took the opportunity to reacquaint her young daughter with her aunt.

"Ginny, theez eez Victoire," Fleur introduced the small blond child. "And you remember your Aunt Ginny, mon chaton, oui?"

The little girl's blue eyes scrutinized Ginny cautiously for a moment before she burst into a huge, dimpled smile and held her arms out to her aunt.

"I'm so happy to see you, Victoire!" Ginny said, taking the girl into her arms to hug her close.

"She 'as missed you and your visits very much," Fleur stated, her eyes glistening brightly.

The euphoric atmosphere continued to build as the family mingled together, laughing, crying, and repeatedly hugging Ginny and each other so, at first, no one noticed the newest arrival standing motionless, watching them from the doorway.

"Harry!" Molly exclaimed and it felt to Ginny like her heart stopped beating as everyone turned toward the door.

"Come in, Harry! Come in!" Arthur said jovially, shaking Harry's hand and pulling him into the already overcrowded kitchen.

Harry greeted the others, but his gaze remained locked solely on Ginny who was still holding Victoire in her arms. When Ginny's eyes finally met his, the slight, hesitant smile that formed on her lips filled Harry with a deepest sense of longing. Every nerve in his body cried out in protest as he fought a hard-won battle against going straight to her and wrapping her in his arms. Instead, he swallowed with great difficulty, having to settle for merely allowing his eyes to caress her form and drink in her radiant beauty.

Ginny carefully handed Victoire back to Fleur, fearing that her suddenly weak knees were going to buckle from the intensity of Harry's gaze. She also had to remind herself to breathe because just that simple act had somehow become a very difficult thing to do in Harry's presence.

"H—" Harry's mouth felt like he just swallowed a handful of sand, and he cleared his throat before he trying to speak again. "Hey, Ginny. How are you feeling?"

"Better, thank you," Ginny replied quietly, suffering from an affliction very similar to the raven-haired man's.

"I suppose it was too much to hope that Charlie would be able to make it," Molly said with a sigh, her voice helping to slightly ease the nervousness between the pair. "Now that you're here, Harry dear, I had better see about feeding you lot. George, you said Angelina may be stopping by as well?"

"If she can get out of work in time," George confirmed. "Although, she said she's been having to stay late too many evenings as it is and that she'd Stun her boss if he doesn't let her leave. So I'd count on her coming."

"Angelina?" Ginny questioned with a raised eyebrow at her brother, whose face grew slightly red at her inquiry.

"George's girlfriend," Bill said with a wink and George's blush deepened.

"Ah, George, she eez a nice girl," Fleur comforted, giving him a sisterly hug. "We like her and she eez able to put up with your, ah… humor. She eez perfect for you!"

"Well, with so many of us, we're going to have to move dinner outside, so, you boys," Molly indicated George and Percy, "see about helping your father set up the table and chairs in the yard. Bill, set up some lanterns so we'll be able to see later; and you may want to consider a warming charm. It's starting to get chilly in the evening this time of year. Fleur and Hermione, you can set the table and then help me bring everything outside when it's ready."

"What can I do, Mum?" Ginny asked eagerly when her mother turned to the stove without assigning her a chore.

"Yeah, I should help, too," Harry added. He couldn't remember the last time he had been at The Burrow when Molly doled out assignments and did not ask him to do something as well.

"I won't hear of it!" Molly insisted, with a dismissive wave of her hand. "Not after everything you both have gone through today." She patted Harry on the arm with a warm, cheerful smile and was unable to resist giving her daughter another hug. "You two are the guests of honor. Now shoo! Dinner won't be ready for a half an hour or so at least."

"Harry, why don't you take Ginny out for a walk and show her around?" Hermione asked and she smiled innocently back at his warning glance and Ginny's pleading expression.

"Zat eez a great idea!" Fleur added brightly and just as innocently. "Eet eez a beautiful evening for a walk, especially since zee moon should be up soon."

"No, Mum, really, I want to do something to help," Ginny protested. No matter what Hermione had told her, she was still struggling to resolve her own thoughts and feelings regarding Harry's character for herself. She was not exactly prepared to go off somewhere secluded with him, even if her family was close by.

While Harry wanted nothing more than some alone time with Ginny, he could not mistake the note of panic in her voice. If Ginny's reaction when he tried to comfort her at Andromeda's was any indication, there was something about him that truly frightened her. The last thing he wanted, and the very last thing he thought she needed at the moment, was to be forced into a situation that made her uncomfortable or, worse, frightened.

"If Ginny doesn't want to—"

"Let us finish setting up the table and then Hermione and I'll come with you," Ron offered, and if Harry had not felt immediately annoyed by his friend's offer to accompany them, he might have laughed aloud at the look Hermione threw at her husband.

"_But that won't give them very much time if they wait for us, will it, Ron?_" Hermione stated none too subtly through clenched teeth.

"Of course eet won't," Fleur agreed as she smiled disarmingly at Ron who immediately looked as though he had forgotten how to form words. "Go on, you two, and we'll call for you when dinner eez ready."

As Hermione literally shoved both Harry and Ginny through the door before either of them could protest, Harry heard her subtly whisper, "Just be yourself," in his ear. She quickly turned back into the kitchen and shut the door."

Harry and Ginny stood in awkward silence until Harry said, "I guess Hermione and Fleur really want us to go for a walk."

"It would seem that way," Ginny returned, but she made no attempt to move.

"So, er, shall we, then?" Harry said, gesturing with his hand indicating for her to go ahead of him.

"Don't you, uh, think it will soon be a bit too dark to be out walking?" Ginny asked without looking at him.

"It will be light enough for a while," Harry countered, ignoring the painful constriction of his heart as well as her thinly veiled excuse. It was becoming clear that Ginny wanted nothing to do with him.

"Watch out, coming through!" George called, opening the kitchen door as he and Percy levitated a number of chairs past the couple. They were followed closely by their father and the kitchen table, which had been shrunk to half its size so it would fit through the doorway.

"I thought Hermione said you two were going for a walk?" George asked. He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively and Harry groaned inwardly to himself; that was certainly not going to help his cause with Ginny in the least!

"She did," Bill said coming through the door with two more chairs. "What are you two waiting for? Don't worry; you won't miss out on dinner. Mum's not about to let the rest of us start eating without you."

"Come on," Harry said half-heartedly. He shoved his hands in his pockets as his mind raced to formulate some kind of a plan to get Ginny to trust him.

Ginny followed but she came to a halt once they were out of earshot of her father and brothers.

"They're trying to set us up!" She said without trying to hide her annoyance and looking at Harry accusingly.

"I had nothing to do with it," Harry replied defensively.

Ginny raised one eyebrow suspiciously. "So they always meddle in others people's affairs?"

"Only when they think it's for the best," Harry said. "So why don't we take advantage of it? Trust me; I doubt there will be another time that your mum doesn't put us to work along with everyone else."

He read the wariness in her eyes and sighed deeply. "I'm not about to drag you off and do something horrible to you. And if my word isn't enough to convince you, consider how long I'd survive with your father, not to mention four of your rather large brothers nearby to do me in if I tried something? You don't have to be afraid of me."

"I'm not afraid of you!" Ginny shot back, setting her jaw; she wasn't about to admit it aloud, anyway.

"Yes, you are." Despite the situation, Harry smiled at the expression on her face that he had come to know so well. "You're just too stubborn to admit it."

"I am not!" Ginny replied indignantly. "I just think that it's prudent for me to be cautious."

"Maybe this will make you feel safer to be around me." Ginny took a nervous step backward when he reached to pull a wand from his back pocket. She was surprised when he handed it to her, keeping the tip pointed straight back at himself.

"You're giving me your wand?" she asked, eyebrows raised. The moment that she touched it, a warm, pleasant sensation traveled up her arm.

"No, it's your wand," he corrected as he gazed off into the distance. "I found it washed up on the shore while we were searching for you. We searched for weeks but it's all I found..."

As Ginny studied his profile, she thought that he looked despairingly sad recalling his futile hunt for her. Then she reasoned that if he was planning to harm her it was unlikely he would provide her with a means of defense by giving her wand back to her.

But still…

Harry contemplated her continued apprehension and then he handed another object to her. "If this is what it will take, then here."

"You are giving me your wand?" She asked in amazement.

"I'm letting you hold it while you're alone with me," Harry replied with a shrug. "I doubt it's really necessary, though, because you'd probably kick my arse, whether I have my wand or not."

"Yeah, right," Ginny scoffed with a roll of her eyes, but she took him up on his offer. It certainly couldn't hurt, and she _would_ feel better knowing that he was not armed. "I doubt that."

"You can be very scary when angered, Miss Weasley," Harry said, hearing Hermione's advice urging him to be himself in the back of his mind. He grinned and added, "I've seen every one of your brothers, well, except for Bill, cower like frightened schoolboys in front of you when your temper was up. Even Charlie, and he works with dragons for a living."

"You're comparing me to a dragon?" Ginny demanded. She sounded so offended that Harry feared he had inadvertently made her angry until he saw the corners of her mouth twitch. "Why on earth did you ever want to marry me, then?"

"I eventually learned you have enough good qualities that overshadow the scary ones," he replied and he turned to walk in a direction away from the house. "And I still do."

"You still do what?" Ginny asked as she started to walk with him.

"Want to marry you."

Ginny stopped in her tracks, her mouth forming a small oh, as many conflicting thoughts raced through her head all at once.

She should have been prepared for him to bring up the topic of their pending marriage. After all, his memories and his feelings for her were still intact; he remembered everything they had shared and done together. It was just not a subject she felt prepared to deal with yet.

_Oh, be honest with yourself!_ The little voice in her head chastised. _Hasn't the idea of a relationship with Harry already taken root somewhere in that mangled, messed up brain of yours?_ She could not forget the warm feelings that ran through her when Harry admitted to Teddy that he was still in love with her. Nor was it easy to ignore the fact that whenever Harry looked directly at her, it felt like someone had hit her with a Jelly Leg jinx. But no matter; she still did not know him or what he might be capable of. She had to maintain a tight rein on her heart and take it very slow when it came to Harry Potter.

As Harry continued his slow walk away from The Burrow, he worked hard to remain outwardly nonchalant and calm when, in fact, his stomach felt like Death Eaters were using him for a punching bag again. He silently prayed that his declaration had not just frightened Ginny even more.

Before arriving, he had decided he would make his intentions towards her known, especially given the things Malfoy alluded to happening between them. Even though Harry understood that until Ginny regained her memory they could not continue where they left off, he still hoped that somehow they could still have something like the future they had originally planned together.

The very idea that he was competing against Malfoy for Ginny's affection rankled, to put it extremely mildly. He, Harry, was the one she had been engaged to and, in his mind, she still was. Until she told him outright that she wanted Malfoy over him, he would not give her up.

"How's your back feeling?" Ginny asked quietly from beside him and, as relief ran through him, Harry sent up a silent thank you that his prayer was answered; he had not frightened her away by alluding to their marriage.

"A lot better," Harry answered continuing to walk slowly, facing straight ahead. If she wanted to ignore his comment about wanting to marry her, then he'd drop the subject for now. "I stopped home to change before I came over and Kreacher performed some of his magic. It will still take a while to heal completely, but at least it doesn't hurt as much." He glanced sideways at her. "I never thanked you for doing what you could to patch me up earlier. Kreacher also said he thought it was a big help that someone thought to apply Dittany to it so quickly, so thank you."

"Oh, um, you're welcome." The embarrassed flush she felt was not due to Harry's thanks but rather the reminder of her long perusal of his half-naked form while he was unconscious. She thought a slight change in subject was in order. "So, who's Kreacher?"

"A house elf I inherited from my godfather," Harry replied wondering why Ginny suddenly seemed so flustered. Shrugging it off, he went on, "He's really ancient, but whatever healing magic he used on my back helped a lot. He was completely thrilled when I told him that we'd found you alive, by the way. I don't think I've seen him that happy about something since I gave him an old locket that used to belong to one of his former masters. He totally adores you and I don't think it has anything to do with you coming from a pureblood family."

"Why would being from a pureblood family matter to him?" Ginny asked.

"He used to belong to dark wizards who taught him that only purebloods are worth anything," Harry explained with a note of disgust in his voice.

"Sirius, my godfather, was the last descendant of his family, but he wasn't like the rest of them; he hated Dark Magic and the Dark Arts. Kreacher didn't come around to a different way of thinking until after Sirius died and I inherited him. I even offered to free him once, but he wouldn't have it. He started beating himself over the head with a frying pan because he thought that I was unhappy with his work. Took me over an hour to calm him down." Then Harry chucked, "and another frustratingly long hour after that to get it across to Hermione that Kreacher didn't want to be freed."

By now they had crossed through the orchard and come to a pond. As Harry gazed out across the small body of water, he could not help thinking back to the many enjoyable summer afternoons spent swimming with Ron, Hermione and Ginny; not to mention a few other glorious occasions when he and Ginny managed to sneak off by themselves.

"Now there's a sure cure for insomnia if you ever need one," Harry continued, trying to keep his voice steady. Unfortunately, his mind was refusing to relinquish one particular memory of Ginny lying on a towel, wet and warm beneath him after their swim; her brown eyes shined with love and desire as his fingers traveled tenderly along her bare skin, connecting dots of glistening water droplets…

"What is?" Ginny asked, glancing at him curiously due to his sudden silence.

"Huh?" For the life of him, Harry could not remember what had he been talking about.

"What's the cure for insomnia?"

"Oh, er, just ask Hermione about S.P.E.W. sometime." _Focus, Potter! _ He chastised himself. _She already thinks you're a nutter without you getting lost in the middle of a simple conversation!_

"Would you like to sit for a while?" He asked, indicating a large patch of grass by the edge of the pond.

"Sure, but I think I'll pass on asking about spew," Ginny replied and she sat down next to him. "It sounds kind of disgusting."

She wrinkled her pert nose in a way that made Harry yearn to lean over and plant a kiss upon it.

Instead he laughed, "No, not _spew_, S-P-E-W; Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare. Hermione's had a thing for freeing house elves since we were in school. But I couldn't do that to Kreacher if it's not what he really wanted, could I?"

"No, of course not," Ginny reassured.

"Anyway," Harry continued, "Kreacher is looking forward to seeing you again."

They lapsed into a surprisingly comfortable silence for a moment, listening to the steadily rising melody of frogs and peepers calling out to one another from around the pond.

"Why don't you tell me something about yourself," Ginny said finally. "After all, you know everything about me, so it's only fair."

"I wouldn't say that I know _everything_ about you," Harry countered, but he was already thinking about where to start and what she might like to know; although he did not feel it was yet time to get into too much detail about some things in his past. "I've told you that I was raised by my Muggle aunt and uncle. I didn't find out that I'm a wizard until I was eleven because they hated anything having to do with magic, most especially me."

"Hermione mentioned that they didn't treat you very well," Ginny replied sympathetically.

"No, they didn't," Harry acknowledged. "Neither did my cousin. I don't think I can count the number of times he and his friends beat me up, or at least tried to. I was too young when my parents died to remember how things were when I lived with them, so the memories of my early childhood aren't great ones. Things got a lot better once I went to Hogwarts because that was the first time I remember feeling like I really belonged somewhere. That first day I met Ron on the Hogwarts Express was probably one of the luckiest days of my life. Your family has been wonderful to me and they've always done everything they can to make me feel right at home.

"So… let's see… what can I tell you about myself that will impress you the most?" Harry contemplated aloud, rolling his eyes upward and tapping his chin theatrically with his finger.

"You think that you have to impress me?" Ginny smiled at his over-dramatic antics.

"It can't hurt, can it?" Harry asked.

"No, I suppose not," Ginny surmised. "As long as it's the truth."

"Okay, how's this for impressive…" Harry paused for effect. "You ready?"

"Definitely; impress away," Ginny answered, fully expecting him to tell her about the time he saved Draco, how he defeated Voldemort, or about some other heroic feat he may have performed since becoming an Auror.

Harry puffed out his chest and said with an air of exaggerated pride, "I was asked to play Seeker for Gryffindor, that's the house we both belonged to at Hogwarts, in my first year."

"That's it?" Ginny asked completely taken aback. "That's what you thought would impress me the most?"

"You mean you're not?" Harry replied, looking indignant, disappointed and, she had to admit, much too adorable all at the same time. "I was the youngest Seeker Hogwarts had seen in over a century!"

"No… I mean, yes! That _is_ impressive," Ginny said quickly. "I just assumed…" She assumed that he was going to act like the arrogant, egotistical, publicity seeking git that Draco had described.

"What did you assume?" Harry asked, watching her curiously. Then he felt like someone threw a bucket of cold water at him. "Oh."

She already heard or knew something about his history; the question was, was she thinking about something Malfoy told her, which he'd bet every Galleon he had would be far from flattering. Or had she heard something from someone else?

"Seeker your first year, wow!" Ginny exclaimed in an attempt to continue their light banter, but it was too late. All humor and playfulness was gone from Harry's face making her wish that she had tried to conceal her surprise.

"Ginny, if there's something specific you want to know, all you have to do is ask me," Harry said quietly.

There were so many things that she did want to know, especially whether he had tortured and abused her in the past. But how could she just come out and ask him something like that? If he hadn't he would likely be quite offended, and if he had, well, who knew what he might do when confronted.

"Okay," she said. "What's your favorite dessert?"

It was now Harry's turn to look surprised, "That's the thing you want to know most? What my favorite dessert is?"

"I figured it's a safe place to start," she replied with a small shrug.

"At least it's an easy question to answer," Harry said. "It's treacle tart. Yours is peach cobbler, or do you remember things like that about yourself?"

Ginny thought for a moment, but she came up completely blank regarding her own likes and dislikes, at least when it came to food anyway. "I don't seem to be able to."

"Actually, you love peach anything; peach cobbler, pie, ice cream, you name it. Your other favorite is a tie between roast beef, roast chicken and steak and kidney pie. I tend to agree with you on all three there."

"Mmm, sounds scrumptious," Ginny replied. "Good thing Mum said we'd be eating soon."

"And you're in luck," Harry said and Ginny was glad to see that he his good humor was returning. "When I stopped by earlier to tell your parents that we'd found you, your Mum said something about making all your favorites tonight. So what else would you like to know?"

Ginny thought for a moment and then asked, "What's your favorite color and why?"

"Red," Harry responded without hesitation, "and the reason is pretty apparent, yeah?"

Ginny felt heat rise in her cheeks and she bowed her head, hoping to at least partially hide her face behind the veil of her hair.

"I have no idea…" she replied in a quiet voice. "Why don't you tell me?"

"Red is Gryffindor House's color," Harry answered casually. "Why did you think it's my favorite color?"

She looked back at him and caught the mischievous gleam in his eyes.

"I didn't think anything," Ginny lied unconvincingly and to her horror, she felt her face flame even brighter. Damn her pale complexion!

"I've liked red for awhile," he said softly, leaning slightly toward her. She was suddenly aware that she was sitting much too close to him, for their arms were only a few inches apart; surely he could feel the heat radiating from her face and body.

"Although," Harry continued and he reached to feel a lock of her hair gently between his fingers, "I did find another reason to like red even more in my sixth year."

"Oh?" Ginny replied, much chagrinned that her response came out as something somewhere between a croak and squeak.

"And it nearly killed me, too," Harry said with a chuckle and she felt a wave of disappointment when he pulled his hand back to wrap his arms around his knees.

At her puzzled frown, Harry explained, "We were both on the Gryffindor Quidditch team and there were several times that I nearly fell off my broom or got smacked in the head with a Bludger because I was watching you instead of paying attention to what I should have been."

"Serves you right," Ginny sniffed. She dug up the courage to look into his eyes, which only resulted in making her stomach feel like a swarm of butterflies were furiously beating their wings in a desperate attempt to escape. "The captain should have kicked you off the team with an attention span that bad."

"I _was_ the captain," Harry replied. "It was really your fault, you know."

"How was it my fault?" Ginny demanded.

"You left your hair lose during practice— a lot," he answered, "and I liked to watch you fly. What's a poor bloke to do?"

"A bloke should keep his mind on the game!" Ginny said, but her tone was light and amused. "So we started going out in your sixth year?" .

"That's right, and it was your fifth year."

"If you were friends with Ron, then we must have known each other for a while before that, though, right?"

"Yeah," Harry replied. "But you didn't really talk to me very much until your fourth year. Actually up until then, you'd usually run out of the room whenever I showed up."

"Why?" Ginny asked, puzzled that she would react in such a way. "Were you horrible to me? Did you and Ron tease me or something?"

"You could always hold your own against Ron," Harry replied, "and I never teased you. You kidding? After knowing what it was like to deal with a bully cousin, I wasn't about to turn around and do the same thing to someone else. No, you, er," he looked down sheepishly at the ground in front of him, "you kind of had a crush on me."

"I did, huh?" Ginny mumbled, and she remembered Hermione's comment that she had been in love with Harry for most of her life.

"I didn't start to notice you, or at least I couldn't admit to myself that I thought of you as more than my best mate's little sister, until well into my sixth year," Harry explained. "Of course I was too much of a coward to tell Ron. He's always been overprotective of you, and I assumed he'd kill me. But at that point, it didn't matter anyway because you were seeing someone else most of that year."

"How did we finally get together, then?"

"It was our final Quidditch match," Harry replied looking reminiscently into the distance, "and Gryffindor was playing against Ravenclaw for the Quidditch Cup. Unfortunately, or now maybe I should say fortunately, I couldn't play because I got myself stuck in detention, so you played Seeker in my place. It drove me crazy not being able to play and I didn't find out we'd won the game until I walked in on the celebration in our common room. The first thing I remember, after realizing we'd won the cup, was seeing you standing there in the middle of the crowd, still in your Quidditch uniform with your hair all windblown."

Harry looked straight into her eyes and the smile he gave her was so genuine and heartfelt that Ginny was certain she was in danger of melting into a hot puddle of goo right on the spot. "There was this expression on your face and this look in your eyes; you were… beautiful. And before I knew it, you kissed me."

"I kissed you? Right there in front of all those people?" Ginny said, rather startled that she would display such boldness.

"Well, we have debated a bit over who kissed whom," Harry laughed, "but it never really mattered to me because that was when I learned that you fancied me, too."

"What did you do that put you in detention?" Ginny asked. "It must have been pretty bad to make you miss an important Quidditch game."

"It was," Harry replied, sobering instantly. This was not where he wanted their conversation to lead so soon; straight to Draco Malfoy and their animosity toward each other.

"I, er, got into a duel with someone and I hurt him; badly. I hit him with a curse that I had no business using because at the time, I didn't know what it would do. I had read it somewhere but I didn't realize that it was Dark Magic and I nearly killed the guy. Thank God the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor showed up in time to save him. I honestly never intended to hurt him, not like that, anyway."

Harry looked into her eyes with such regret that she did, truly, believe him.

"I'm sure that you didn't" she assured him, but instead of seeming relieved, Harry looked even more troubled.

"Harry," Ginny hesitated a moment before placing her hand gently over his as her need to reassure him grew inexplicably stronger. "If you say you did not intend to hurt him that badly, then I believe you."

Harry's skin tingled pleasantly where she touched him, but he was unable to bask in the glorious sensation. In a very short time, he thought she had become more at ease with him and he loathed telling her anything that would destroy what he hoped was a budding trust in him.

"And if I tell you that the guy was Draco Malfoy," Harry said quietly, tearing his eyes miserably away from hers to gaze across the pond at nothing in particular. He hated riding this emotional rollercoaster; one moment he was on top of the world, thinking that he was making progress in regaining Ginny's trust, and then the next he was falling into a deep pit of despair, fearing that he might be on the verge of losing her forever. "Will you still believe it?"

Ginny pulled back from him and clasped her hands in her lap. Should she believe him, now that she knew it was Draco he had been talking about wounding? When Harry attacked Draco at his mother's cottage, the feral look in his eyes when he turned on her was truly frightening. Now, based on what she had learned about him so far just this evening, did she still think him capable of attempting to kill Draco when they were in school, and then even more recently at the cottage?

"Yes," Ginny heard herself answer earnestly, although if asked she would not be able to put into words why. Even with doubts regarding her relationship with him and what he may have done to her, she believed his regret was sincere. "I believe it."

"You do, huh?" Harry's eyes traveled quickly to the wands in her hand before he looked away from her again with a shake of his head.

"You can have it back." Ginny held his wand out to him.

"Are you sure?" Harry questioned, making no move to take it. "There's not much chance of a Death Eater attack here, so I don't really need it at the moment."

"I'm sure," Ginny replied, continuing to offer the wand. Thoughts of her nightmares ran briefly through her mind, but she quickly pushed them away. He was not a murderer. Nor could it be Harry who played the role of the sadistic villain in her dreams; that _had_ to be someone else; more significantly, she _wanted_ that monster to be someone else, anyone but him.

Then a realization struck Ginny like a bolt of lightning—she was already falling for him! Harry was essentially still a stranger to her, for she could not remember him any better now than she could when she first found him hanging half dead in Draco's carriage house. But there was something about him that was working its magic on her; perhaps it was his gorgeous green eyes, his warm smile, the underlying confidence he exuded, or maybe it was simply his presence beside her that… thrilled her? Made her feel... alive? Safe? Whole again?

All of the above.

Finally, Harry took his wand from her and slowly pocketed it, bringing Ginny out of her reverie. "Come on, they'll probably be calling us for dinner any time now."

He got to his feet and, when he held out his hand to help her up, her heart beat a little faster as she accepted his assistance. How could she thrill to his touch and enjoy the feel of his hand closing around hers if he was the one who had tortured her in the past?

"Thank you," Ginny said, looking up at him.

"You're very welcome," Harry replied smiling back at her, losing himself in the warmth of her brown eyes.

"I, um, also should thank you for understanding and for your willingness to give me your wand until I felt more comfortable with you," Ginny said, biting her bottom lip nervously. "I know this can't be easy, my not being able to remember you or… or us. But if you'll be patient with me and give me time to get to know you again…"

As her voice trailed off, Harry gave her hand a gentle squeeze, "I'll give you as much time as you need." He wondered if it was possible that she had grown even more beautiful during the time she had been missing.

Harry's entire being fed greedily upon the presence and the radiance of the woman before him, marveled by her exquisite features that, not long ago, he thought he would never see again. He admired the shape of her eyes, he adored each and every beautiful freckle sprinkled along the bridge of her nose and rosy cheeks, and he was captivated by her soft, full lips that he had not kissed for what seemed like more than a millennium.

Caught in the moment, and not completely conscious that he was doing it, Harry slowly bent his head down, closing the gap between them.

His lips brushed over Ginny's ever so lightly but enough that he could feel her trembling. He pulled back, just enough to see her face and to gauge her reaction. Her eyes were closed, but when they slowly opened, their burning intensity reignited emotions within him that he thought had been extinguished forever the night he watched her fall over the cliff.

Heartened by the fact that she had not pulled away nor tried to hex him, he lowered his head again and, this time, he captured her lips gently, but more firmly, with his.

The initial, tender touch of Harry's lips took Ginny by surprise, setting her heart beating against the inside of her chest so hard it felt like it was about to break free and fly away. The cool evening breeze along with the peeper-song quickly faded into the background, leaving her aware of nothing but the tantalizing promise Harry's feather-light kiss conveyed and the alluring, masculine scent that clung to him which was new and, yet, so very, very familiar.

When Harry pulled away, she stifled a whimper of disappointment. She felt like he had given her only the tiniest sample of a decadently sweet treat that she had been craving her entire life and she wanted more! Harry obliged and the pressure of his lips gradually increased, becoming more demanding as they took possession of hers. Ginny hesitated but only for a moment before she began to respond in kind. She placed her arms around his neck, careful to avoid hurting his wounds, as she sought to quench the burning need that was rapidly spreading throughout her entire body.

Ginny's warmth pressing lightly against him combined with the sweet, heady taste of her mouth to send Harry's senses reeling. The agonizing months spent in grief and loneliness when he believed her to be dead melted away, for this was no teasing dream from which he would wake to find nothing but unbearable emptiness beside him and within his heart; this _was_ Ginny standing before him, flesh and blood, responding to him, and very much alive. It became too much for him to hold back any longer and his arms encircled her small form, crushing her body to his. She did not protest and their kiss intensified, as each drank in the other; Harry aching to again experience all they had once shared and Ginny seeking to realize what the future might hold.

Eventually and with great effort, Harry reigned in his ever building need, for he feared if he did not slow things down, he was soon going to be very hard pressed to stop himself from conjuring a blanket and throwing both of them upon it. He started to spread smaller, lighter kisses along Ginny's jaw and throat, eliciting a contented sigh from her lips, until he planted a final kiss on the tip of her nose and then rested his forehead against hers.

"I've missed you so much," Harry whispered fervently.

Ginny was thankful for Harry's continued arms around her for, not only did she feel she was exactly where she wanted to be, but if he released her, she seriously doubted that her legs would be steady enough to support her full weight. Draco's kiss had certainly not left her feeling like this!

"And I want to remember you," Ginny replied earnestly. "Especially when you kiss me like that. It makes me wonder what else I've forgotten."

Harry smiled and placed his finger under her chin, "Then maybe I should keep kissing you to see if we can jog your memory." And he did, but he was careful to keep it shorter and chaster this time.

"Mmm, I like that plan," Ginny breathed when his lips left hers. At that moment it was hard to imagine Harry was the one she kept dreaming of doing horrible things to her in the past.

But what if he had and she was letting her guard down too soon?

Ginny pushed the thought away as Harry led her back towards the house. She was not going to let herself think about it now. She was finally home where a wonderful time with her family and Harry lay ahead and that was what she was going to focus on tonight.

Dinner at The Burrow was the merriest it had been in many months, and Ginny found herself often laughing so hard that she was brought to tears. Each of her brothers tried to out-do each other by regaling her with family stories, often at one another's or Harry's expense. Charlie arrived mid-way through the meal and, after yet another joyful reunion, he soon joined in on the fun.

As the evening wore on, Ginny wondered how it was possible that she had lost every single memory of such a warm and loving family, as well as of Harry. She was seated next to him and even with moving the table out to the yard, there were so many people gathered closely around it, either her arm, leg or foot was constantly coming into contact with him. Every touch or unintentional bump shot a pleasurable tingle throughout her body, bringing to mind their too brief time spent by the pond earlier.

"It's getting late," Harry said reluctantly when he noticed Ginny unsuccessfully stifle a yawn for the third time. The day's events were catching up with him as well, and not only was he starting to feel very tired, but the wounds on his back were starting to throb painfully again. While he considered it a small price to pay to spend time with Ginny, part of him was looking forward to more of Kreacher's pain relieving ministration. He looked pointedly at Ron, "Some of us also have to be in the office early tomorrow."

"'Mione, have I mentioned that my new boss at the Ministry is a tyrant?" Ron whispered loudly to his wife.

"Hmm, I have heard rumors like that about him," Hermione grinned.

"I've also heard that he gets exceptionally cranky when one of his team doesn't show up alert and ready to work," Harry warned sternly as he stood up, but there was a glimmer of humor in his eyes.

"Yeah, yeah," Ron responded in mock annoyance, also rising from the table.

"Plus, Ginny, don't forget you have an early morning appointment at Saint Mungo's," Hermione added.

"How could I forget?" Ginny replied. "With any luck, they'll find a way to bring my memory back and by this time tomorrow I'll be as good as new."

"Ginny, why don't you see Harry to the Apparition point?" Arthur suggested and Harry hoped that he was able to read the silent thank you in his eyes.

They strolled companionably through the yard, not touching but both very aware of the other as they laughed and recalled some of the funnier stories told that evening. It wasn't until they reached the gate that Ginny said worriedly, "I just hope there really is something the Healers can do to help me."

"I'm sure they'll be able to sort it out," Harry replied as he turned to face her, taking her hands into his.

"But…" she said hesitantly, unable to keep from expressing her concern, "what if the Healers _can't _figure out what's wrong and my memories never come back?"

Harry cast his eyes downward for a moment as a shadow crossed over his face, but when he looked at her again, whatever she thought she had read in his expression was gone.

"Then you have a lot of people right here who will be more than happy to help you make wonderful new memories." He gently squeezed her hands and gave her a tired, but encouraging smile. "I'll see you soon."

Harry started to turn away, but he hesitated as if he was trying to make up his mind about something. His eyes locked briefly on hers and then Ginny's heart gave a thrilled leap as he brushed her lips with a fleeting kiss before disappearing with a quiet pop.

xxxxxxxx

"You have to calm down!" Joddy exclaimed glancing nervously at the bodies lying at his friend's feet.

"Calm down?" his masked friend snapped angrily, turning on him. "I have been calm! Do you know what it took to remain calm when I saw Potter alive and perfectly well at the Ministry? Now not only has he slipped through my fingers for the moment, but I've lost the Weasley girl as well! And why? All because of incompetence! And not just theirs!" He motioned irately at the dead forms of Malcolm Baddock and Markus Flint, each with several daggers protruding from their bloody chests. "But my own as well!"

He paced irately back a forth and the two Death Eaters who had discovered Harry gone and Baddock and Flint unconscious in the carriage house cowered fearfully against the wall each time the man in the gold mask passed close to them.

"I should have gotten rid of Draco Malfoy the moment I learned of his initial betrayal!" He continued furiously. "I never thought he'd be brave enough, or stupid enough to help Potter escape!"

"Well, he did and there's nothing you can do about it now," Joddy replied. "You don't even know where Malfoy is."

"Bah! He's of no concern to me any longer!" the man returned. "My only dealings with him from here on will be killing him if I get my hands on him before I finally finish off Potter. After that, I won't really care."

"And when exactly will that be?" Joddy asked crossing his arms. "Finishing off Potter, I mean. It's not like you don't have the opportunity nearly every day. Don't you think it's about time to be done with it?"

"I told you I want him to suffer!" Golden Mask snapped. "And he's going to!"

"You're _still_ planning to go after the girl?" Joddy asked in surprise. "How? Potter'll be even more protective of her now than he was before. You don't expect him to think you've given up on going after her, do you?"

"No, and I'm counting on it," the man said, balling his hands into tight fists and taking a deep breath.

"How's that?"

"Of course he'll want to protect her," Golden Mask stated; "but he won't be able to do it by himself. He'll need help and he'll seek it from the people he thinks he can trust."

"And you think he'll trust you?"

Golden Mask shrugged. "That remains to be seen, doesn't it?"

Golden Mask turned on the two cowering Death Eaters who looked like they wanted to melt into the wall and disappear.

"You saw what happened to these two?" he asked, pointing to Baddock and Flint.

The men nodded and, looking up at him fearfully, they pushed themselves back even harder against the wall.

"That's what will happen to you and anyone else who does not do exactly as I ask of them," Golden Mask said menacingly. "Is that understood?"

When they both nodded again he hissed, "I asked if that is understood?"

"Y-yes, my lord!" They both answered in unison.

"Good," the man replied. "I want you to spread the word to our colleagues that I do understand Potter can identify many of them now and that he and the Ministry will be looking for them. Tell them that if they have the misfortune of being captured, they will say nothing about me or any of the others. If they do, I will know and they will have lived their last day."

"Yes, sir!"

"Furthermore," Golden Mask continued, "no one is to touch Potter. From here on, he is mine and mine alone, as is Ginny Weasley." As the man turned to leave they heard him add, "I'm through playing with him."


	25. Green-Eyed Monster

**A/N- **Hello everyone. I sent this next chapter out to my beta a few weeks ago but unfortunately she's been pretty swamped and has not had the chance to get to it yet. Since you guys have waited so long already for an update, I thought I'd put the chapter up now and then I'll update it with the 'clean' version when it comes in. I apologize ahead of time if you find (hopefully not too many) typos. It's another fairly long one, so I hope you enjoy!

**Chapter 25 – Green-Eyed Monster**

A chilly gust of wind whipped Ginny's hair around her face and she gathered the thick mass into one hand behind the nape of her neck as she pulled up the hood of her sweatshirt with the other. Tucking in the wayward strands, she shivered and snuggled deeper into the warm oversized garment. She inhaled deeply and a smile formed on her lips. Harry's scent was still present; a combination of soap, subtle aftershave and something else that was unique to Harry himself.

He had come for dinner the night before and accidently left it behind when he went home. The days were growing increasingly cooler and when Ginny decided to go out for a morning walk, she spied his sweatshirt hanging by the door next to her own and on impulse, she opted to wear his. It was too big for her and it hung down nearly to her knees, but it really was warmer than her own and she did not think Harry would mind if she borrowed it.

Although she was going on her second week back at the Burrow, she had not had the opportunity to see Harry much at all. Since the wizard everyone now referred to as Golden Mask, as well as most of the man's Death Eaters were still at large, Harry was spending long hours at the Ministry working tirelessly with the other Aurors to track them down. It was rare that he got out of work at a decent hour, thus, the previous evening had been an exception.

Of course she did not need to be a Seer to understand that if the golden masked Death Eater had already gone to such lengths in his plot for revenge against Harry, it was very unlikely he had had a change of heart or mind since their escape from Malfoy Manor. Whoever he was, the man wanted to hurt Harry as badly as he could, and she remained a highly effective weapon the lunatic could use to accomplish his goal.

She sighed and gazed out over the pond watching the reflected sunlight's sparkling dance across the wind-rippled water. Her appointment with the Healers at Saint Mungo's had not provided a remedy for her current condition and, as far as Ginny was concerned, it had been a complete waste of time. The only thing they were able to conclude with certainty was that all of her memories of the people, places and events in her past were, for some unknown reason, inaccessible.

Ginny snorted to herself in disgust; like she didn't already know that and needed a Healer to tell her the obvious, thank you very much.

No matter what charms or spells the Healers tried, they had only been successful in locating memories of things that occurred after she awoke at Malfoy Manor. Although she could recall spells, charms and hexes, along with other day-to-day things any witch or wizard normally needed to know in the magical world, it seemed that everything having to do with people and events that took place before she awoke had been wiped clean.

Her mother accompanied her to the appointment, but Ginny was thankful the Healer had insisted that Molly remain in the waiting room during the examination. It was difficult enough to relive the last night she spent at Malfoy Manor, including her encounter with Draco in the garden and her discovery of Harry in the carriage house. It would have been made even worse if her mother had been present to view those memories as well.

Ginny shuddered recalling the horrible image of Harry hanging unconscious from the rafters of the old building. As the healers pulled what memories they could, she was forced to relive each, as if it was happening again right in front of her. Harry's bloody and battered form was one memory in particular she could have gone the rest of her life without experiencing again.

She would rather focus on more recent and pleasant memories like those from the previous evening. She and her parents had enjoyed Harry's company over dinner and it was very apparent just how highly they thought of him. The four of them ended up talking and laughing well into the night, but it was the recollection of the very end of the evening and Harry's parting kiss that still made Ginny feel warm all over.

Whenever she was in Harry's presence and when he kissed her, or even when she was alone in the bright sunshine of a beautiful day as she was at this moment, it was hard to imagine that he would take pleasure in hurting her in any way. But once she drifted off to sleep, she was inevitably assaulted by the recurring nightmare from which she always awakened, terrified and trembling. Alone and in the darkness of the night it was impossible to curtail her misgivings about Harry for it was too easy for her imagination to run wild and lead her into believing there was a possibility that a sadistic monster lurked behind those beautiful emerald eyes. At least she could be thankful that so far she had awakened before her screams became loud enough for her parents to hear.

While the genesis of her nightmares remained a mystery, one thing was becoming increasingly clear; the struggle between what might be subconscious warnings and her growing feelings for Harry was becoming increasingly stronger, not to mention perplexing. If her nightmares were giving her a glimpse into a past, malignant relationship she may have once experienced with Harry, how could his kiss and his lingering scent on the garment she was now wearing invoke such feelings of warmth, happiness and security? Short of having her memory return, it was a question which Ginny had no idea how to answer.

It had been wonderful getting to know her family again over the past weeks. Fleur visited with Victoire several times and Ginny had enjoyed playing with her young niece as well as getting better acquainted with her sister-in-law. It was with relief that she realized what she had initially perceived as Fleur's conceited arrogance was nothing more than just the blond woman's way of being blatantly straight forward and honest in her thoughts and opinions.

Her mother's joy and elation to have her daughter back was truly infectious and they had spent hours together, much of that time going through a seemingly endless library of family photo albums. Unfortunately, one could only maintain an enthusiastic mien for so long when shown an unending number of photos of red-headed relations while trying to cram the name of some great-great grandnephew on cousin Amphibious' mother's side into one's head.

She knew that her mother was only trying to help since the Healers suggested that looking at old photos might assist in restoring her memory. At least Ginny's interest was temporarily revived when her mother flipped through several pages of more recent photos and clippings of her and Harry. Apparently she and Harry were co-patrons of several charities which had been established to aid victims of the war. According to her mother, Harry had developed a particular interest in helping children left orphaned by the tragic events of that dark time period.

She thought back to one particular photo of Harry with a group of laughing boys who were only a year or two older than Teddy. It was a press clipping from the _Daily Prophet_, and what made it so memorable was that it was one of the few photographs Ginny had seen from a newspaper or magazine in which Harry looked totally relaxed and not as if he was forcing a smile for the camera. It also served to remind her of the ever growing discrepancy between the terrifying man presented in her nightmares and the portrait-in-progress her heart was painting of Harry.

Gazing up at the sun, Ginny broke out of her reverie, guessing that it must be approaching the eleven o'clock hour. Her mother had gone out shopping earlier to restock the pantry and she wished she could have gone, too if for no other reason than to break up the monotony that had begun creeping onto her life. Harry and her parents insisted she remain at The Burrow, stating it too dangerous for her to venture into any public places while the Death Eaters were still on the loose.

Not exactly enamored by the prospect of being alone and bored in the house by herself for several more hours, Ginny had contacted Andromeda via the floo asking if she could follow-up on her promise to Teddy and stop by for a visit. Having overheard their conversation, the young boy's ensuing whoops of joy had solidified the matter.

Ginny took a deep breath of the fresh air as she stood up and strolled leisurely back toward the house. It really was a beautiful day and she wondered if she would have any luck convincing Andromeda to let her give Teddy his first lesson riding a broom.

xxxxx

"What's the meaning of this, Potter?"

Auror Svenson Jodfree rounded angrily as Harry entered the meeting room followed closely by Ron. When the two of them came to a stop in front of the table directly opposite Jodfree, the muscular blond man waved a piece of paper irately.

"Is this your idea of some sort of petty payback?"

"No," Harry replied calmly. "It's an official request to meet with you to discuss some questions we have."

"Need I remind you that _I_ actually out-rank _you _in this department?" Jodfree snapped. He raked his eyes derisively over Ron before glaring back to Harry, "I'm extremely busy and I don't appreciate being summoned here by you like I'm a bloody Auror Trainee on probation!"

Out of the corner of his eye Harry saw Ron's face redden and he quickly responded with a mocking quirk of his eyebrow, "My sincere apologies, Auror Jodfree, but somehow the last three meeting requests I sent to you must have gotten lost between my office and yours since you never responded up to any of them. I only sent this one through a more official channel to ensure you received it. Please take a seat."

Harry casually pulled out a chair and sat down, clasping his hands together in front of him on the table in the guise of waiting patiently for the other Auror to the same. On numerous occasions he had observed Professor Dumbledore use the technique to some success (including during several tantrums Harry himself had directed at the Headmaster) and, while it was not always easy to feign an outward calm, it was a skill he was working to master.

Ron followed Harry's lead, taking the chair next to him and Jodfree eventually did the same.

"What do you want?" the blond Auror demanded bluntly.

Harry nodded slightly to Ron who placed a photo of a man in his mid-twenties with dark blond hair and blue eyes on the table in front of Jodfree. If someone looked at the photo too quickly, they might easily mistake the subject in the photograph as a slightly younger and thinner version of the Auror himself.

"Can you identify this man?" Harry asked.

Jodfree only gave the photo a nominal glance before sitting back in his chair. "That's Thomas Jodfree, my cousin. But it's my guess you already know that, so let's get straight to whatever reason you have for asking me about him."

"I'll get to that in a moment," Harry replied. "When did you last see him?"

Jodfree eyed Harry with undisguised irritation before responding, "It's been a while, but I'd have to say it was several Christmases ago at a family dinner."

"Do you know where he's staying or where we can find him?" Harry asked.

"I have no idea," Jodfree replied. "Last I heard he was traveling abroad; Egypt, maybe, or some such place. My family is quite large and I don't make a habit of keeping track of where each and every one of them goes on holiday."

"A flyer with this photo was issued to all Aurors a few days ago," Ron stated. "Someone told us they recognized him from a time you brought him by the ministry a while back. You had introduced him as your cousin who was considering a career as an Auror."

"So what I'm curious to know," Harry said leaning forward and keeping his eyes locked on Jodfree's, "is why you didn't come forward to identify him yourself."

"I don't have time to review every piece of paper that comes into our office." Jodfree leaned forward mirroring Harry's posture. "Besides, my job is to concentrate on _internal _investigations. I devote my attention to investigating questionable activity of those _within_ the department, no matter who he happens to be."

Harry ignored Jodfree's attempt to provoke him. Ron, however, knew his friend well enough to read the angry tick in Harry's jaw as testimony to the effort he was employing to maintain a passive mask of indifference to the other Auror's jibe.

"Yes, I'm well aware of what you do," Harry said tersely and took a calming breath. He was not going let the guy get under his skin this time. "Thomas Jodfree's image in that photograph was taken from the extracted memory of an intern who works in Director Candlehard's office. She had been dating your cousin for the past few months, although he told her that his name is Tim Jeffrees—"

"Please tell me," Jodfree ground out, "that you have not summoned me here to waste my time discussing lies my cousin told some tart to get her to fall into bed with him!"

"I summoned you here hoping you might be able to provide us with information regarding his whereabouts," Harry replied with forced patience, "because we are in the process of issuing a warrant for his arrest in connection with the murder of Martha Pondergrass and attempted murder of Ginny Weasley."

"Murder?" Jodfree snapped in surprise. "Based on what evidence?"

"For one thing," Harry explained, holding up his index finger to tick off the count of one, "Candlehard's intern is the one who opened the letter Martha Pondergrass sent to me. She has admitted to telling her boyfriend about the time and location of my meeting with the woman, who, as I have learned, did in fact know that Ginny was still alive and exactly where she was being held."

Holding up a second finger, he continued, "Second, I have a witness who has placed a man referred to as 'Joddy' and who fits your cousin's description in the presence of others who have been linked directly with the Death Eater who tried to kill Ginny. And third," Harry held up a third finger, recalling his recent follow-up discussion with Draco Malfoy, "and most importantly, another witness has positively identified the man in the picture as Tom Jodfree, confirmed that he goes by the nick-name of 'Joddy', and that he has assisted the Death Eater's leader."

"I might only be a 'little Auror Trainee'," Ron added, "but even I have to say that's more than enough evidence to justify a warrant for his arrest, wouldn't you?"

"So let me ask you again," Harry said when Jodfree continued to sit in silence, drumming his fingers on the table, "are you certain that you can't tell us where we can find Thomas Jodfree?"

"I'm certain," the Auror stated, some of his arrogance having momentarily left him. "As I've already said, I've had no contact with him in several years, nor do I have any idea where he is now."

Harry eyed Jodfree carefully and concluded that the man was telling the truth. "Would you be willing to ask around, maybe find out whether someone in your family knows where he is?"

"I'll see what I can do," Jodfree replied, although he did not look happy about it.

"And you'll notify us the moment you learn anything?"

"Yeah, yeah," Jodfree said impatiently waving his hand. "Now if that is all…"

The Auror stood up to leave but Harry halted him, "There is one more thing you might want to consider looking into."

"And what exactly would that be?" Jodfree's arrogant attitude was back.

"A credible informant has told us that the Death Eaters do indeed have several people in the Ministry working for them. It is very likely that one of them either works in or is in some way connected with the Auror Security Department. Given several people in that department were aware of the wards Bill Weasley employed, it would explain how they were able develop counter wards so they could carry out the attack.

"And the Great Harry Potter and his star team have been unable to uncover this informant's identity?" Jodfree asked in derisively.

"I have my suspicions," Harry replied pointedly, which successfully wiped the arrogance from the man's face.

"Are you implying," Jodfree's face darkened with anger, "that I have ties to Death Eaters? Because if you are—"

"I'm not imply anything," Harry answered over Jodfree's objection. "But if the Ministry, and more precisely, the Aurors, have been infiltrated by Death Eaters, even with the new precautions put into place by Minister Shacklebolt, such as the use of Veritaserum during the interview process, it presents disturbing insight into the level of leadership positions likely affected. I'd assume such a possibility is something Internal Investigations would want to look into."

Jodfree silently considered Harry's words for a moment and stalked toward the door. "You'll hear from me when I've found something."

"So what do you think?" Ron asked after Jodfree's departure. "Is he one of them?"

"No. I believe him," Harry replied.

"You do?" Ron said surprised. "Isn't Internal Investigations the perfect area for a Death Eater spy? It's not like they'd look into themselves very hard, is it?"

"Jodfree may be an ambitious, arrogant ass who doesn't like me very much, but a Death Eater spy? Somehow I don't think so. He reminds me somewhat of Percy."

"Hold on," Ron said taking exception to the comparison, even if Percy was his least favorite brother. "I'll be the first to agree with you that Percy can be an ambitious, arrogant git who'd rather wrestle an Acromantula to the death than deviate a single letter from the book but—"

"Exactly," Harry said before Ron could go on. "And from what I've learned about him, Jodfree is as by-the-book as Percy. He despises anything that goes against the normal order of things, and his belief of what's proper and improper or right and wrong is as black and white as you can get. Another thing everyone says about him is that he's the epitome of tenacious. We've just planted a seed in his mind that something in the department and in the Ministry at-large is out of order; that someone is trying to operate above the law. You've seen how he hates the very idea of that, so who else can better help our case from that angle than Jodfree? Even if the spy or spies turn out to work in Internal Investigations, he won't stop until he finds them none-the-less."

"I see what you mean," Ron acknowledged. "But I'd almost place a bet that one of those Security Aurors who keeps giving you a hard time is involved."

"Quailmire or Jefferson?" Harry said. "We thought the same thing for a while. Unfortunately, we haven't found anything that ties them to the investigation or to the Death Eaters. They weren't part of the security team that Bill granted access to so they could supposedly secure Shell Cottage. And every one of the Aurors who was given access, has checked out as well." Harry pinched the bridge of his nose under his glasses in frustration. "There has got to be something we've overlooked; the pieces of this puzzle must be connected but we just aren't seeing it!"

"With the people you've identified, plus this Joddy bloke, we have a bunch of leads now," Ron said encouragingly. "We're bound to crack the case sooner or later."

"It had better be sooner," Harry stated as they left the room to go back to their office. "As long as Golden Mask is still out there, Ginny is in danger. How long do you figure she's going to willingly stay cooped up at The Burrow? She was not at all happy when your parents and I talked to her last night about staying away from all public places."

"She understands what's at stake," Ron answered. "Hermione and Fleur have promised to stop by to visit with her as often as they can and Mum's with her most of the time. It's not like she'll try to sneak away or something."

Harry shot Ron an incredulous glance, thinking Ron should understand his only sister better than that. "You realize we're talking about Ginny, right? You know, your strong-willed, stubborn sister who doesn't like to be told what to do, even if it's for her own good? The one who learned from George and Fred, the masters at pulling one over on you while looking you in the eye with complete innocence? The one who used to sneak out to the broom shed at the ripe age of six without anyone knowing, pick the lock and—"

"Okay!" Ron halted him with a grin. "Point taken. So I guess now's probably not the time to tell you that Gwenog Jones has already approached Dad about getting Ginny back on the Harpies active roster."

"I thought she might at some point," Harry groaned rolling his eyes to the heavens. "I just hoped it wouldn't be this soon."

That's all he needed. Ginny was a young, vivacious woman and she had talked about wanting to get her life back to some semblance of normalcy, even if she could still not remember exactly what 'normal' was. He knew it would not take long for Ginny to become bored within the confines of The Burrow, even if she did visit with members of her family nearly every day. If Gwenog asked Ginny back to play for the Harpies again, it was sure to be too tempting of an offer for her to refuse.

"I suppose I can't really blame Gwenog. Their new Chaser isn't half as good as Ginny even when Ginny's having a bad day."

"I know," Ron agreed. "The best the Harpies have done since Glendora Speedwell took over Ginny's spot has been scraping out a tie with Ireland; they've lost every other game." Ron shook his head dismally. "'Speedwell' is a definite misnomer for that one."

"Even so, it's too dangerous for Ginny to play until the Death Eaters are caught; she'd be too vulnerable. Remember what happened a while back? And that was only because we got engaged."

Right after their engagement was made public, the Wizarding press and tabloid reporters descended on the Harpies' stadium like sharks sensing blood in the water. Harry never could understand the fascination their private lives held for the press and their tabloid readers, but it eventually got to the point that the team was forced to hire additional security personnel to keep people in check so the team could practice without interruption. Even if the Harpies' heightened their security, Harry doubted it would deter Golden Mask if he truly wanted to get to Ginny.

Unfortunately, short of physically binding her or essentially imprisoning her at The Burrow, there was nothing that anyone could do to stop her if playing Quidditch was what she really wanted to do.

"I'll just have to try to get her to see reason and convince her that playing Quidditch right now is too dangerous- and hopefully I can do it without her Hexing me beyond recognition."

"Better you than me, mate," Ron smirked.

"Thanks for the support," Harry replied dryly. "Do you think it's unmanly to make sure your Mum is there to hide behind when I talk to Ginny?"

"Just a bit," Ron laughed which earned him an exasperated glower from Harry; he'd only been half joking. "You know as well as I do when dealing with my sister, concern for one's survival outweighs machismo. Speaking of Ginny, why don't you stop by to see her for lunch or something; you know, work on your relationship with her and all that."

Harry glanced at Ron skeptically. "Since when have you decided to play matchmaker for your sister and me?"

"I wouldn't call it that. But you have to admit that you've been working a ton of hours over the past couple of weeks. I'm just saying that maybe you deserve to take a little time off. Or at least take time for lunch at The Burrow. You have to eat, don't you?"

"Plus, Hermione told you to ensure that I get my arse over to see Ginny more than I have been," Harry replied sagely.

"Maybe she did," Ron said with a casual shrug. "But you know how happy it makes Mum when she can feed you and Hermione did say it'd be a good way for you to show Ginny you're thinking about her. Maybe you can also talk to her before Gwenog does."

Over the past few weeks, Harry felt constantly torn between doing everything in his power to track down Golden Mask and his Death Eaters and his desire to see Ginny. He usually ended up repeating to himself 'her safety has to come first' like a mantra and therefore his first priority had to be stopping Golden Mask.

On the other hand, Ron was right. He did have to eat and he really did miss Ginny, even if he had just seen her the night before. Taking an hour out for lunch would not really have a negative impact on their investigation.

"Tell Hermione it was a good idea," Harry replied with a grin. "I think I will."

xxxxx

"Auntie Ginny!"

Teddy's exuberant cry came barely a second before the boy jumped from the last step of the front port and rushed to wrap his arms around Ginny's legs.

"Hi, Squirt!" Ginny ruffled his turquoise hair fondly before bending down to give him a hug. "It's good to see you."

Teddy stepped back and eyed her hopefully. "What'd you bwing me? A new Snitch?"

"Sorry, kiddo. All you get this time is me."

"Oh, I guess that's okay," Teddy replied with a little pout and then he brightened. "But will you bring me a Snitch the next time?"

"You shouldn't expect Ginny or Harry to give you something every time you see them," Andromeda said patiently to her grandson, coming out to the porch to greet their guest.

"I know, but Uncle Hawey always bwings me something," Teddy replied petulantly.

"He does, huh?" Ginny said, catching Andromeda's eye.

"I keep telling Harry that he's spoiling the boy but, of course he ignores me," Andromeda explained. "I suppose it's because he understands the loss of both parents at such a young age. Given how his early childhood was while living with those Muggles, I suspect he wants to make sure Teddy has the things that he never did."

Harry still had not provided her with details about his experiences growing up with his aunt and uncle but Ginny had heard enough from Hermione and her mother to think that Andromeda's theory made sense. She was not sure how to respond to the woman's comment so she only nodded slightly to convey empathy for what Harry must have dealt with before turning her attention back to Teddy.

"Hey, we can still have fun today even though I didn't bring a present for you, can't we?"

Ginny affected an exaggerated pout of her own, making Teddy giggle. "Sure!"

"What should we do then?" Ginny asked, bending her knees so she could be eyelevel with Teddy.

"Why not show Ginny the swing I put up for you."

The sound of Draco's voice startled her and Ginny looked up in surprise at the blond wizard who had come out to stand next to his aunt. His gaze was locked on her and he smiled as their eyes met.

"Draco! I didn't know you'd be here," Ginny blurted without thinking.

"Good morning to you, too," Draco replied to her less than enthusiastic greeting.

"Yeah!" Teddy yelled in approval of Draco's suggestion. He took Ginny's hand enthusiastically and pulled her toward the backyard of the cottage. "Come on! You can push me on the swing! It's almost as big as the ones in the park!"

"So you made Teddy a swing?" Ginny said to break the awkward silence as Draco walked beside her and the boy. Although she could not determine exactly why, she was ill at ease under Draco's gaze; a gaze that did not offer her the same comforting warmth as Harry's when he looked at her.

Draco shrugged, "Once I understood what a swing is, it wasn't all that difficult to transfigure some vines into rope and a small log into a seat and then hang it from a tree. I'm surprised Potter didn't think of doing it himself rather than risk taking the kid to a park."

_It was only a risk because you told he Death Eaters about their trips to the park_, Ginny thought, feeling a flash of anger toward Draco and his betrayal. _You may hate Harry, but that's no excuse to put his life, not to mention the life of a young child, in jeopardy!_

"At least it gave me something to do," Draco was continuing. "I've been bored out of my mind since I'm stuck either here or at Mother's cottage."

"I know what you mean," Ginny replied, swallowing the heated retort that had threatened to leave the tip of her tongue. She did not want to argue with Draco about his involvement with the Death Eaters in front of Teddy. Instead she turned her attention back to the boy who had run ahead of them and was now wiggling his bottom into a comfortable position on the seat.

"Gim-me a biiiiggg push!"

Ginny could not help but laugh at the boy's exuberance which helped her to brush her anger with Draco aside. "I'll do my best; now tell me when you're ready and holding on tight."

Teddy grasped the ropes with both hands. "Okay!'

Ginny pulled Teddy and the swing back towards her and let go, giving the swing a gentle push each time it came back.

"Higher! Higher!" Teddy called back, all smiles, and Ginny gave him a few more strong pushes to the boy's delight.

"I can understand how bored you must feel," Ginny continued to Draco. "It's been wonderful meeting everyone in my family and getting to know them all again but it's getting to the point where it would be nice to get out and do something more. Of course with the Death Eaters still out there, Harry and my family think it's too dangerous for me to go anywhere."

"I can't say that I like admitting Potter is right about anything, but in this case he is." Draco leaned against the trunk of the tree, keeping his eyes locked on her. Outwardly she ignored his watchful perusal but inwardly she found it irritating. That, coupled with the way he said 'Potter' with the same derogatory tone as when he first told her about Harry at Malfoy Manor, brought her annoyance to the forefront again.

"One thing I have learned is that your take on Harry does seem to be quite different than others'," Ginny said, working to keep the tone of her voice level as she gave Teddy and the swing another push.

"There's a surprise," Draco rolled his eyes. "But everything I've told you about him has been the truth."

"I'd say it's been more like half-truths and omissions, wouldn't you?" She was not about to give him an opportunity to disparage Harry's character with his young godson present so she decided it was probably better to steer the conversation away from Harry directly. "A case in point being the minor detail of your involvement with," she lowered her voice to a whisper to keep Teddy from hearing, _"the Death Eaters and what they did to him."_

"No one regrets that more than I do, I assure you," Draco replied. "Which I've already explained to everyone; many times in fact. By the time I realized what they had planned, I was already in too far."

"You still could have told someone about them!" Ginny flushed with anger and she turned to face him. "You had months to come forward to tell them where I was and to do something to help stop them! And who knows what that madman will do next! He went after me and my sister-in-law, and he wants Harry d—"

Teddy glanced back at them apprehensively, halting Ginny in midsentence and she clenched her hands into tight fists in her effort to control her rising temper. Before she said something that she would regret, or more likely before she used words that Teddy's young ears should not hear, she turned her attention back to the boy.

Silence dragged on between them for a while and even Teddy seemed reluctant to speak until finally Draco said, "I had no choice."

"We always have a choice, Draco," Ginny gave him a hard look. "It may not always be easy or pleasant, but there's a choice none-the-less."

"Teddy! Time to come in for lunch!"

Ginny gave an inward sigh of relief when Andromeda's call interrupted them. She was struggling to sort out her thoughts regarding Draco. While the chasm between his definition of truth and hers was very wide, she could not forget that he chose to save her life right under the Death Eater's nose the night she fell from the cliff. Be that as it may, it did not give him immunity from owning up to the part he played in the events that had unfolded.

"Go wash your hands, Teddy," Andromeda said as the boy ran past her into the cottage. "You're both welcome to join us."

"I'll be happy to," Ginny smiled pleasantly at the woman.

"Sure," Draco acknowledged seeming somewhat relieved by the interruption himself, although his relief was short lived.

"Would you mind if we come in in few minutes?" Ginny asked. "Draco and I have a bit more to discuss."

Draco glanced at Ginny apprehensively and she gave him a pointedly sweet smile that was not reflected in her eyes.

"I don't mind at all," Andromeda answered with a knowing smile of her own, oblivious to her nephew's glare as she went back into the cottage.

"Why is it you never told me the whole truth about anything?" Ginny demanded the moment Andromeda was gone. "You may have saved me from falling to my death that night, but the truth is, you arrived with the Death Eaters who tried to kill me! You explained things to me in a way that made it sound like Harry Potter was the one who was leading them! You kept me from seeing my family for months, letting them go on thinking I was dead because you claimed it too dangerous to contact them!"

Draco took several wary steps backward as Ginny, with her hands on her hips, advanced on him one angry step at a time with each heated accusation she hurled at him. "You made it sound like Harry was involved in the murder of the boyfriend of some girl he fancied, when, in truth, that Dark Lord you told me about was to blame! You lead me to believe Harry is some crazed nutter out to kill me, instead of telling me that he was actually the man," she emphasized each of her next words with a painful jab of her finger to Draco's chest, "_to – whom – I – was – engaged!"_

"If you'd give me a chance to explain—" Draco backed away further, rubbing the spot on his chest where her finger had stabbed him, but she cut him off.

"_Explain?"_ Ginny growled, her ire rising ever higher. If only Teddy wasn't home, she would have already reached for her wand and hit Draco with every nasty hex she could remember. "You keep crying about wanting to explain, but you had _plenty_ of time to explain everything if you'd really wanted to!"

Then again, perhaps she ought to reconsider; traumatizing Teddy would be a small price to pay for the glorious satisfaction she would get by hexing the blond man to bits.

"I didn't know what to do after I caught you that night,!" Draco said, gathering enough courage to stand up to the petite, angry hellfire before him. "It wasn't until that night that I finally realized what their leader was truly capable of and just how far he planned to go! I knew if he found out about what I had done, that I'd saved you, he'd come after me, too."

"That does not justify lying to me!" Ginny insisted.

"He said he'd go after Mother," Draco replied defensively. "He threatened to kill her if I didn't go along with him and I was not going to take that chance! I couldn't take you to a hospital after I caught you because someone was bound to find out that I was the one who brought you in. Even so, when you didn't wake up I realized I had to do something so I hired the nurse."

Ginny's eyes grew wide as a horrible thought struck her, "D-do you know who…"

"Murdered Mrs. Pondergrass?" Draco shook his head in answer to her question. "No. Although I've had my suspicions since I learned what had happened."

"Yet you still didn't tell anyone what you knew?" Ginny glared at him, crossing her arms in disgust.

"I was trying to figure out what to do about you because by then he had learned what I had done; he knew that I'd saved you."

"At your mother's cottage," Ginny said slowly, "Harry accused you of planning to turn me over to the Death Eater so he would be forced to watch that man kill me…"

"I was _never _going to let that happen," Draco answered almost pleadingly. "I was working on a way for us to disappear for a while, only I never expected him to capture Potter at the park. I had already planned to leave that night with you even before I found out they were holding him in the carriage house."

"Where you were going to leave Harry to die!"

She could not understand how anyone, no matter how much they disliked someone, could leave them behind to die a tortuous death at the hands of a bunch of madmen. It was clear that Harry never liked Draco either, yet Hermione told her he had once willingly risked his own life to save Draco from the cursed fire.

"After we were safely away, I was going to tip off the Ministry about where Potter was." Ginny raised a skeptical eyebrow and he added, "You can believe me or not, but that's what I planned to do.

"Ginny, listen to me. Please." Some of her anger was abating and he dared to step closer to her again. "It was not a lie when I first told you that both of our lives would be in danger if the Death Eater learned where you were. Then when he found out, he did tell me that he wanted to make Potter watch him kill you. But even before then, I knew I had to get you back to your family. I didn't do it sooner because once you learned more about them or that you had a fiancé, I thought you'd want to leave before I found a safe way out of everything for both of us. I was trying to keep us both alive! That's why I didn't tell you everything."

"However noble you think your reasons, keeping things from me was wrong, Draco." she was fed up with Draco's attempts to twist his actions in his favor. "And the way you made Harry out to seem completely horrible was also uncalled for."

"If you remember, you _were _having nightmares about him," Draco replied defensively. "You described who you saw in your dreams, and your description fit Potter exactly. Who else could it be? Sure, you were supposed to marry him, but given the circumstances you can't blame me for thinking it was possible he mistreated you behind closed doors. Have you ever considered that maybe the reason you lost your memory is because Potter did something so terrible to you that you don't want to remember him?"

"Harry would never hurt me," Ginny stated, although her voice lacked complete conviction. Wasn't there a part of her that still wondered whether Harry was the dark-haired man in her nightmares? And didn't she continue to harbor some level of suspicion that Harry had done horrible things to her? She could not totally fault Draco for thinking the same thing.

Unfortunately, the nightmare continued to haunt her and it remained the one barrier she had not yet been able to overcome regarding Harry. While there were still many details pertaining to Harry's and their combined past that remained a mystery, whenever she was with him, she could not imagine him capable of harming her in any way. When she gazed into the warm, emerald depths of his eyes and especially when he kissed her, a warm, radiant sensation flooded her entire body that she imagined must be akin to soaring blissfully into heaven.

That comforting aura stayed with her even after Harry had gone; at least until she fell asleep and the nightmare transported her straight back into hell. It was always lurking behind her closed eyes, waiting to spring at her and to cultivate the seeds of doubt within her mind once again. If only she could decipher what her subconscious was trying to tell her! Maybe it was trying to warn her away from Harry, but it was also becoming more difficult for her to attribute the sadistic actions of the dark-haired man in her dreams, whose face she never clearly saw, to Harry. She was more certain than ever that Harry _was_ connected to the dream in some way. Unfortunately, until she discovered what that connection was, she had to find some way to restrain her heart and keep it from following the path it so very much wanted to take; assuming of course, that it wasn't too far along that path already.

"For all I knew," Draco went on, bringing Ginny's attention back to him, "your pending marriage was a façade to ensure nothing tarnished the Great Harry Potter's reputation."

He gathered her hands into his and he continued earnestly, "I am _very_ sorry I did not tell you the truth, the complete truth, from the beginning because I should have."

"You think?"

Draco ignored her sarcastic response and his hold on her hands grew stronger when she tried to pull away from him. "You have to believe that it was never, ever my intention for harm to come to you. Not that night on the cliff or after the Death Eaters learned that you were alive and staying with me."

"But all the things you've said, or more accurately, the things you didn't say, and all that you've been involved in—"

"I wish I could make you to realize how truly sorry I am," Draco said, looking her straight in the eyes. "I promise that from here on out, I will do whatever I can to make it right. I will help to find the other people responsible for what has happened in whatever way I can. I even agreed to let Potter interrogate me again for hours the other day, which was not a pleasant experience; but I assure you, I want to see the Death Eaters in Azkaban as much as anyone."

"Of course you do," Ginny commented coolly. "You aren't any safer than the rest of us until they're caught."

"That, too," Draco chuckled, undaunted by her skepticism; he considered it a win that, given Ginny's fiery reputation, he had successfully managed to assuage most of her anger without suffering bodily harm. "And perhaps I want to prove to you that I'm serious about changing my evil ways."

"Hmm, we'll see." Ginny did not particularly care what he told her at this point or what he promised; what he had done was wrong and she was not about to forgive him now, nor likely in the near future.

"Well, maybe that's a start." Draco smiled. He bent his head down, pulling her towards him but then he froze to stare over her shoulder. Ginny used the opportunity to quickly remove her hands from his, eminently grateful for whatever caught his attention and thus interrupted what seemed like an intention to kiss her. When she turned, she was surprised to see Harry standing motionless in the back door of the cottage watching them.

Harry had received no answer to his knock on the door at The Burrow when he arrived which immediately raising his concern. It briefly crossed his mind that Ginny had gone out shopping with her mother, but they had all agreed it was unsafe for her to venture out to public places. Even if Molly had gone out for a while, he thought it highly unlikely that Ginny could have successfully cajoled her mother into letting her go along.

The door was unlocked, but that in and of itself was not unusual; the Weasleys never felt the need to lock their doors given the protective wards that surrounded The Burrow that allowed only good friends and members of the family to get through.

Drawing his wand, Harry had slowly opened the door and stepped into the kitchen. Nothing seemed disturbed or out of place and he called out to announce his presence, still to no avail. His mind raced wildly, imagining all forms of horrible scenarios that caused the house to be empty, even if there was no sign of a struggle. After all, the Death Eaters had gotten through Bill's wards so it was all too conceivable they could do it again. Then the rational part of his brain reminded him that the Death Eaters had received help breaking through to get to Shell Cottage, which could not be the case for The Burrow. There had to be another reason no one was home.

Finally he saw the hastily scribbled note on the table and, recognizing Ginny's handwriting, he was relieved when he read the message she left for her mother. Molly must have gone out somewhere so Ginny had decided to go visit Teddy and Andromeda.

Teddy greeted him enthusiastically at the door when he arrived, but when Andromeda told him that Ginny was in the back yard with Draco, Harry's good mood evaporated immediately. Other than Golden Mask, the last person he wanted near Ginny at the moment, no, make that _ever_, was Draco Malfoy.

Even after being told where Ginny was and who she was with, Harry stopped short in the doorway when he saw them standing together in the yard. Ginny's back was towards him, but he could plainly see her hands joined with Draco's, who was smiling over something that had just been said. It looked very much like they were sharing a tender moment it sent molten jealousy churning sickeningly within his stomach.

Ginny had walked him to The Burrow's Apparition point after dinner the previous night which was their first opportunity to be completely alone since that glorious night by the pond. They had talked for a while about several non-consequential things that Harry couldn't even recall; the only thing he clearly remembered was succumbing to his burning need to kiss her. When his lips first touched hers he sensed Ginny's initial hesitancy, but as each experienced the sensual taste and radiant heat from the other, their ardor built quickly. It had been pure ecstasy to kiss her and to hold her in his arms again, feeling her warm, womanly curves pressed against his. It raised his hope that the wall of fear she had built between them was finally starting to crumble.

Ginny's response also helped to quell some of the nagging uncertainties left by Draco's taunts which Harry, try as he may, had been unable to put completely out of his mind. He wanted to believe that Draco's insinuations regarding his relationship with Ginny were nothing more than wishful thinking and fabrications meant solely to goad him; but were they?

Seeing them together with their hands entwined and engaged in what had all appearances of the makings of an intimate scene, Harry was powerless to keep his torturous doubts from flaring anew. He had witnessed their quiet stroll and kiss in the garden first hand; he had walked in on them, sitting close, holding hands at Narcissa's cottage; Draco as much as said that he was with Ginny when she awoke in bed screaming, and terrified by nightmares. While his heart did not want to accept it, his eyes were ostensibly confirming at least some truth in Malfoy's claims and the creature within Harry's chest roared in pain as well as with fury.

Harry's dark expression and deepening glower erased the smile that began to form on Ginny's lips as he strode over to them.

"What are you doing here?"

"Visiting," his rival drawled casually. Ginny was facing away from Draco and she missed Draco's eyes rove appreciatively up and down her body. "As well as enjoying the charming and beautiful company. What are _you _doing here? Shouldn't you be off playing Auror or some such thing?"

"Careful, Malfoy," Harry's eyes narrowed dangerously. "You'd better hope I don't decide to 'play Auror' and drag you in to the Ministry like I should have in the first place."

Draco successfully feigned a lack of concern with the threat. "And take the chance of something happening to your star witness?"

"It's an acceptable risk as far as I'm concerned, especially since it'd keep you from sniffing around where you don't belong." Harry did not miss the other man's subtle but deliberate positioning of his hand in closer proximity to the pocket where he kept his wand.

"This is my aunt's cottage so I have as much right, if not more, to be here than you, Potter."

"I don't care whose cottage it is. You need to learn to keep your hands to yourself!"

Harry mirrored the other's posture, and stepped slowly to the side so that Ginny was no longer standing between them. He yearned to look at her, to drink in her radiant beauty for himself, but for the moment he did not dare take his eyes off Malfoy, not trusting what that one might do.

"If I didn't know better," Draco replied innocently, "I might think you're trying to threaten me."

"Take it however you like," Harry growled as stormy green eyes remained connected to those of pale gray.

The animosity between the two men gathered as quickly as a summer afternoon thundercloud and Ginny sensed the tempest was about to break. Harry's anger was centered on Draco to the point that he had not even acknowledged her presence. In fact, he was acting as if he didn't even notice or care that she was standing right there in front of him. After experiencing the passionate heat of his parting kiss the previous night, she assumed that he would be happy to see her again or, at the very least, offer her some form of acknowledgement.

Draco's hand twitched almost imperceptivity right before he drew his wand and Harry immediately met the challenge by drawing his wand only milliseconds later. Ginny, however, threw herself between them before either could shoot a curse at the other. With both hands on Harry's chest, she shoved them apart with every ounce of strength she possessed and since Draco had remained behind her, she had no way of knowing that he was actually the one who drew first.

"_What is your problem?"_ Ginny demanded, glaring up at Harry. His disregard for her presence had wounded her pride as much as it tweaked her anger. "What do you think you're doing, barging in here and trying to start an unprovoked duel?"

"Unprovoked! I'm not the one who—"

It hit Harry like a Bludger to the head. Ginny was defending Malfoy! He could still feel the penetrating warmth of her hands through his shirt from when she shoved him backward, but despair wrenched his insides within its icy grip. In that moment, he wanted nothing more than to tear Malfoy apart, piece by tiny, painful, bloody piece. The only thing that kept him from acting on his violent impulse was Ginny's steady glare and the accusatory anger burning within her eyes.

No matter what Harry thought he felt in her response to his kiss the previous night, or how unimaginable and agonizing it was for him to accept, Malfoy just forced Ginny to make a choice between them and she had chosen Malfoy.

As if confirming Harry's worst fears, Draco shot him a triumphant smirk as he stepped up behind Ginny and placed his hands lightly on her shoulders.

Everything Malfoy had told him, along with images of Ginny and the blond wizard together, both real and imagined, assailed Harry's mind. He was not accustomed to feeling uncertainty or jealousy where Ginny was concerned; once he and Ginny were together, both during those brief, glorious, weeks at Hogwarts and then after the war, there was never room or reason for him to question her feelings for him; being together, growing emotionally and healing in the tender and genuine love that each offered the other after the horrors of war had been as natural as breathing.

Was it only a few months ago that Harry was as confident of Ginny's love for him as he was of his love for her, never imaging there was anything that would one day tear them apart?

His eyes met Ginny's for only a brief moment, but it was like looking into the brilliance of the sun; it was too painful to bear. He had to get away; he had to get his emotions under control before he did something that would only serve to drive her into his rival's arms even further or he yielded to the growing temptation to kill Malfoy on the spot.

Somehow Harry found the strength to yield to the tiny, rational voice in the back of his mind warning him not to attack the other man in front of Ginny and he took the only safe and viable option open to him; he abruptly turned and walked away without another word, thus missing Ginny angrily shrug away Draco's touch.

She stared after Harry's retreating back, confused as to why he had become so angry at Draco that he had drawn his wand on the blond man. Before Harry turned away from her, he had looked at her with such anger and misery and… hurt in his eyes. She could not understand the change that had come over him since just the previous night nor what had happened just now. All she knew was that she wanted to stop him and keep him from leaving so she could try to ease whatever it was that was bothering him.

When she took a step to go after him, Draco grabbed her by the wrist. "Let him go."

Draco's commanding tone added more fuel to Ginny's temper but not nearly as much as the fact that he dared to physically try to stop her.

"No," it was her turn to draw her wand and she aimed it between Draco's eyes, "_you_ let _me_ go!"

Draco wisely released his hold on her and he quickly retreated several steps. The expression of alarm on his face was quite comical and if his audacity had not infuriated her to such an extent, she might have laughed.

"If you _ever_ lay a hand on me again, Draco Malfoy, I swear to heaven it will be the last thing you do! Do you understand?"

Draco swallowed nervously and nodded as he stared cross-eyed at the wand tip less than six inches from his nose.

"Good!" Satisfied that she made her point, Ginny left Draco quivering like a just-poked mound of jello and ran as fast as she could around the side of the cottage, hoping she wasn't too late to catch Harry before he reached the Apparition point.

"Harry!" He was just walking through the gate and when he did not stop, she called out again. "Harry, wait!"

This time he stopped but he did not turn to face her.

"Don't – go – yet!" Months of inactivity had taken its toll on her stamina and she was surprised by how hard it was to catch her breath after just that short sprint. "I want – to talk to you."

Harry glanced over his shoulder toward the cottage but Malfoy was nowhere in sight. "What about?"

Ginny inhaled deeply to regulate her breathing, which also provided her with an excuse to collect her thoughts. She carefully stepped in front of him but Harry continued to stand before her, stone-faced, with his hands in his pockets. He was quite obviously avoiding her eyes which made it even more difficult to broach any topic of conversation with him. Finally, she decided to just jump right in before she lost her nerve altogether.

"Why were you going to attack Draco?"

The look Harry gave her was so sharp and heated that she took an involuntary step backward and she immediately wondered whether she had made a grave mistake by running after him. She told Draco that she did not think Harry would hurt her, yet the truth was, she still did not know what he was truly capable of. If he was prone to violence, he could easily turn on her now, just like the horrible man in her dream.

"_He_ made the first move to attack me!" He averted his gaze from her again. "I guess that's not what you want to believe, is it?"

"Why wouldn't I want—"

Harry brusquely cut her off, "It's not a good idea to get into this right now."

It was the first time since he had met Ginny Weasley that Harry wanted to get away from her as fast as he could. In his mind, she had made her choice quite clear and he did not trust himself to keep from either doing something to Malfoy that he'd regret in the long run or crushing Ginny to him and beg her to choose him instead.

"Why not?" She hoped she wasn't pushing her luck with him but when it seemed he was going to continue on his way without answering, she pressed, "I think I deserve an explanation for why you came barging in like that."

Harry gave a humorless, bitter laugh, rolling his eyes heavenward. "It's not obvious?"

"Not really, no," she answered, causing Harry to wonder how such an intelligent, beautiful woman could not understand the affect seeing her with Draco Malfoy would have on him.

"Can't you understand how hard this is?" Harry released a derisive breath. "Especially now that I know he's…." He couldn't even finish the thought out loud.

"That he's what?" Ginny pressed with a frown when he stopped in mid sentence. She could not help him if he refused to explain what was bothering him. "Harry, please talk to me."

She laid her hand gently on his arm but he jerked away from her touch as if it burned him. His rejection of her offer of comfort squeezed her heart as she searched for some form of rational for his behavior. How could he have nearly swept her off her feet with a mere kiss the night before and now treat her as if she had some terrible malady he was afraid of catching from her?

Silence dragged on between them until Harry drew a frustrated hand down his face, "I don't know if I can do this."

His hand muffled his words so Ginny had a hard time hearing him clearly.

"It's been hard enough that you don't remember me, or us. I just can't… I don't want to make things worse because I know I won't be able to handle it if you end up hating me on top of everything else."

Ginny's confusion was complete because he was not making any sense to her what so ever. "I'm not going to hate you."

"Maybe not yet." He took a ragged breath, trying desperately to keep himself under control.

Was it possible that the passion and desire he thought he felt in Ginny's kiss had been nothing more than his own wishful thinking? That's exactly what it must have been based on her reaction and defense of Malfoy just now.

Somehow, Malfoy had wheedled his way into what Harry considered to be his own rightful place within her heart and jealousy coiled around his entire being, smothering the hope that he had been clinging to; hope that he and Ginny still had a future together.

"You don't know how close I am to going back there and cursing that sniveling, arrogant son of a—" Harry pursed his lips to corral several more unflattering adjectives for Draco Malfoy that were on the tip of his tongue. "…let's just leave it at I'm trying _very_ hard to keep from doing something I might live to regret."

"Harry," Ginny said, taking a deep breath, "no matter what Draco has done, if it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be here now."

Was that the answer, Harry groaned inwardly. It was not unheard of in his line of work, for a young witch to become madly infatuated with an Auror who had saved her life. Malfoy may have been involved with the Death Eaters who attacked them and he even admitted right in front of Ginny that he had lied to her, or at least withheld the truth from her, but that could not erase the fact that he was the one who saved her that night on the cliff. Harry knew that Malfoy could be polite and charming when it suited him; it was conceivable that Ginny had turned to him for comfort when she awoke frightened and with no memory.

_But I saved her once, too! _A petulant voice shouted within Harry's mind. _Some people even think I saved the whole bloody world when I defeated Voldemort! _

He mentally shook himself; he did not want Ginny to fall in love with Harry-the-Hero. He wanted her to fall in love with him, with Just-Harry, just like she had before. Perhaps that was the reason he had refrained from telling her everything about his past and about the part he played in ending the war against Voldemort.

As a young girl Ginny's crush had been on The-Boy-Who-Lived; it wasn't until they both grew up and grew together over time that each came to understand, accept and love all facets of the other, both the good and the not-so-good.

He had come to love Ginny Weasley, deeply and fully, and he never thought there could be anything that he would refuse her; but he did he have the strength to step aside and accept her choice if Malfoy was the one she truly wanted to be with? Could he abide by her decision knowing how selfish and deceitful Malfoy was and what he was truly capable of?

"Maybe I should have realized it before now," Harry stated bitterly. "He… Golden Mask wanted me to see that you and Malfoy were… together… I assume it appealed to him as another form of torture."

Ginny frowned, having no idea what Harry was talking about as he shook his head and stared straight ahead into the distance. "At that point all I could clearly think about was that you were alive. I didn't know that you'd lost your memory until Malfoy came in and told me. At least that explained why you'd let him kiss you."

"You saw Draco kiss me?" Harry closed his eyes with the slightest nod of his head and everything suddenly clicked into place as Ginny recalled the afternoon that Draco met her in the garden. It was the only time he had kissed her. It happened only a few hours before she went out to the carriage house looking for Draco and, instead, she found Harry hanging unconscious and nearly beaten to death.

How terrible it must have been for him, Ginny thought compassionately. Not only had the Death Eaters mercilessly beaten him but they had tied him up so that he faced the window where he was forced to watch his fiancée kissing another man during what likely resembled a romantic encounter in the garden. It was no wonder Harry had attacked Draco at his mother's cottage. If she saw another woman kissing Harry, she would want to hex the tart's lips right off her face!

There was nothing romantic between her and Draco, not then and certainly not now, although Harry obviously seemed to think that there was. That had to be the reason Harry lost control when he saw her with Draco only moments ago.

No, she corrected herself, Harry did not lose control; he said Draco was the one who pulled his wand first, which she did not see because Draco was standing behind her. If that was the case, Harry was only defending himself.

"If Malfoy is what you want…" Harry could not keep the pain he was feeling out of his voice, "it won't be easy to accept because I love you; I always will."

She started to shake her head, repulsed even now by the memory of Draco's lips on hers. "Harry, I'm sorry—"

"Ginny, don't," Harry halted her and there was misery written all over his face. "Don't apologize for how you feel. I can understand how terrible and frightening it must have been to wake up with no memory; not knowing who you are or where you belong. He was there for you then, not me, and he's the one who saved you that night when I couldn't.

"But I swear," Harry looked at her with determination, "no matter how you feel about him, if Malfoy puts one toe out of line; if he does _anything_ whatsoever that puts you in danger in any way, I _will_ go after him and I'll take him down."

"Harry, listen to me," Ginny implored, stepping to block his path when he started to walk away from her again. "What I was going to say is that I'm sorry you had to see Draco kiss me and—"

"Why?" The memory of the helplessness he had felt, to be forcibly bound, whipped, and then made to watch as Malfoy touched her fanned the embers of his anger. At that moment he yearned to take Ginny into his arms and kiss her; he wanted to keep kissing her until he eradicated all thoughts of Malfoy from her mind. Having her before him, so close, so beautiful and so vibrant yet knowing she preferred another, only added fuel to his growing fury with the entire situation. "You didn't remember me or that we were even engaged, so what's there for you to be sorry about?"

"I'm sorry that it added more pain on top of everything else that happened. I don't want to see you hurt."

"It's a little late for that, isn't it?" Harry threw out, sounding more accusatory than he intended. "You don't think it hurt to walk in on you and Malfoy back there as well?"

"Why should it?" Ginny was taken aback by the bitterness in his voice. "Nothing was going on between Draco and me. We were only talking. Actually it was more like I was telling him off when you showed up."

"Is that what you were doing with me last night at The Burrow?" Harry demanded derisively. "Telling me off?"

Ginny gaped at him, so momentarily stunned by his words that she could not reply.

"Because it felt like something completely different to me," Harry continued irrationally, unable to help himself. "You say you don't want to see me hurt? Then answer me one question. When did you plan to tell me?"

Ginny had no idea what he was getting at or why he was growing even angrier. She had done nothing wrong and she did not appreciate his accusatory tone nor for his attitude which, combined, was stirring up her temper again.

"Tell you what, exactly?" Ginny replied coolly, placing her hands on her hips.

"That you fancy Malfoy and that you'd rather him over me!" Jealously reared its ugly head high, casting an impenetrable shadow over further rational thought within Harry's brain. "I didn't want to believe anything he said was true, not then and especially not after the way you returned my kiss last night! What have you been trying to do? Make up your mind between us? Even in school I never knew you to string along two blokes at the same time!"

He had gone too far and the crack from Ginny's open palm striking his face rang out across the yard. She was strong for her size and Harry staggered a step to the side. She glared at him, breathing heavily as he looked back at her stunned and rubbing his cheek tenderly.

"You have got to be the most dim-witted, boorish and blind prat on the face of the entire planet!" She stormed, now so angry that any remaining fear of him was forgotten. "Why _should _I fancy you?"

"So everything Malfoy told me is true?" Harry stated tonelessly to what he could only assume was her backhanded confirmation.

"How would I know whether the things Draco told you are true when I don't know what he said?" Ginny replied curtly, and she turned to march irately back to the cottage.

She knew she was deliberately being cruel by not setting him straight about her feelings, or lack thereof, for Draco. She did not care for the pale blond man in romantic terms what so ever, and she could not fathom why Harry thought one stupid kiss, a kiss that she in fact most certainly did not enjoy and wished she could scrub out of her memory, meant that she did. It also hurt more than she expected that Harry thought the last kiss they shared had meant nothing to her when it was so far from the truth.

Couldn't he feel her practically melt in his arms when he kissed her? Didn't he see how flustered she became whenever she looked deep into his gorgeous emerald eyes? Couldn't he tell how attractive she found him, and how quickly her feelings for him had developed even with her lingering doubts and even though she was only just starting to get to know him again?

How could he, she then chastised herself. It's not like you've told him! All you have essentially let him know is that you don't trust him and that you are afraid to be completely alone with him. You were practically alone with Draco in his mansion for months and you have since learned that he's been involved with the Death Eaters, yet you have never feared him; and Harry knows it. So ask yourself again; do you really expect Harry to read your addled mind or figure out what you feel for him?

Watching Ginny walk away from him brought Harry to his senses. He was immediately appalled by what he had just said to her and he fervently wished he could take back all of his insulting words. Why would Ginny want him when he allowed his jealousy to get the better of him and he treated her so badly? It was very likely that he had just succeeded in accomplishing the very last thing he wanted; sending her straight back into Malfoy's arms.

He was filled with nothing but complete disgust with himself as he watched her indignant strides put more and more distance between them. He could not leave things like this. He had to apologize and if she even deigned to listen to him, he would get down on his knees and plead for her forgiveness if he had to.

"Ginny, don't go." He thought she slowed her pace slightly and he hurried to catch up with her. "I'm sorry!"

To his surprise and great relief she stopped to wait for him, although she kept her head down which hid her face from his view behind a wavy curtain of soft red hair.

"I'm sorry," he said again, but it sounded lame even to his ears. "I shouldn't have said what I did."

"No, you shouldn't have," Ginny replied quietly, keeping her face averted for a few moments before she finally looked up at him. "Why did you then?"

Threatening tears glistened in her eyes, testifying to just how badly his words had wounded her. Other than during the many funerals after the war, including Fred's, Remus's and Tonk's, he had rarely seen tears in her eyes. Knowing that he was the one who caused them this time made him feel even worse.

He didn't know how to begin to explain and he settled on the only thing that came to mind. "You got it right. I'm a dim-witted, boorish prat."

He had not meant to be funny but Ginny chuckled shakily. "That you certainly are. And you forgot blind."

"Ginny, whenever I see you with Malfoy I don't—"

"I don't have feelings for Draco in the way that you—"

They had both started to speak at the same time and Harry gave her a nervous smile, "You first."

"No, go ahead," Ginny offered back with a tentative smile of her own.

Harry shook his head, "I'd like to prove that I am capable of being a gentleman, so, please, say your peace, whatever it is."

"All right then," Ginny replied looking him straight in the eye. "I do not fancy Draco. While I am grateful to him for saving my life, it doesn't mean I have feelings for him beyond friendship."

He was caught up in the brown depths of her eyes and it took a few moments for her words to register. "You- you don't?"

Ginny shook her head in the negative, "No, I don't."

"Then everything he's said isn't…" Harry's voice trailed off as the impact of Ginny's revelation penetrated his mind. Everything Malfoy told him, every implication and innuendo, had been meant to mislead him and it had almost worked! All of a sudden he could not imagine how he had been so stupid to believe Ginny could fall in love with Malfoy. But then why had she allowed him to kiss her?

It was as if Ginny read his mind when she saw Harry's brow furrow. "When you saw us in the garden, it was the only time Draco kissed me. It came as a surprise and, believe me, not a pleasant one. That's when I made up my mind that I had to get back to my family. Nothing else even close to that happened between us during the rest of the time I was with him."

She wiped a stray tear from her eye. "Whatever did Draco tell you that made you think something had?"

She saw a flush of color spread across Harry's face and he dropped his gaze from hers, "Just, uh, some things… it doesn't really matter now."

"I think it does," Ginny countered. "Especially if it bothered you that much."

"I just jumped to the wrong, stupid conclusions, that's all," Harry replied.

When Ginny crossed her arms with a dubious quirk of her eyebrow, he finally relented because it was clear she was not going to let him dodge the subject.

"Oh, alright. He made it sound like the two of you had been, er… well, together."

"Together?" she queried as her eyebrows rising even higher. "How so, exactly?"

Harry shifted uneasily, "He made it sound like you'd, uh, slept together."

"_He what?!"_ Ginny demanded, completely appalled.

"He said that he was with you when you woke from nightmares." Harry refrained from mentioning that Malfoy had also told him that her nightmare had been about a dark-haired man fitting his description. For a moment, he hoped that that specific detail had been a lie as well, but something in the expression on Ginny's face led him to the conclusion that it wasn't.

"There was only one time that Draco came into my room when I had a nightmare. He heard me screaming so he came in to make sure I was alright." She was not ready to talk to Harry about her dark-haired tormentor, but she did want him to believe that nothing had happened between her and Draco. "We never spent a night together or _any _time in bed together for that matter."

The rush of relief that filled Harry's heart was nearly strong enough to knock him over. How could he have let himself believe what Malfoy told him or that Ginny could develop serious feelings for someone like him?

She abruptly stepped past him toward the cottage and he could not mistake the purposeful set of her lovely jaw.

"Where are you going?"

"To kill Draco Malfoy," she responded matter-of-factly and pulled her wand out from the pocket of her jeans to emphasize the point.

"Um, mind if I ask why?" Harry asked, matching her stride.

"You don't think I'm about to let him get away with telling disgusting lies about me, do you?"

"No." He took two longer steps and it was his turn to block her path. "But I can't really let you kill him."

"Oh?" She crossed her arms and fingered her wand ominously. "Why not? He deserves it."

"I'm not disagreeing with you," he replied carefully, "but I am an Auror, remember. I took an oath to uphold the law so if you kill Malfoy, no matter how much he deserves it, I'll have no choice but to arrest you. Then I'd have to haul you into the Ministry, fill out a mountain of paper work; it'll take hours and hours. Plus the press would have a field day. _'Harry Potter Arrests Quidditch Star Fiancée for Murder'._ Kind of awkward, don't you think?"

"Hmmm, I see what you mean," Ginny replied suppressing a smile as her anger toward Draco began to wane. She lowered her wand and gazed, transfixed, into Harry's eyes. With happiness shining within them once again, they sparkled brilliantly, like a deep emerald sea on a sunny day. "What do you suggest I do then?"

Harry moved closer, shifting his gaze from her eyes to her full, slightly parted lips. "Forget about Malfoy."

The huskiness of his voice sent a flush of warmth up and down her body.

"Who?"

When she turned her face upward instead of retreating from him, Harry slowly placed his arm around her waist as he leaned forward to gently caress her lips with his. Ginny's eager response was all the further encouragement he needed. He wrapped his other arm around her and crushed her to him, tangling his hand into the silky softness of her hair.

As their passion deepened and they clung to each other, mutually believing for the moment that heaven truly had come to earth, they were completely unaware of the bitterness and envy in the gray eyes of the wizard watching them. When Harry stormed away earlier, Draco had hoped that he was close to securing a permanent wedge between the Auror and Ginny. Unfortunately it appeared as though Potter had beaten him once again and won the prize.

It was times like this that he wished he had turned out to be more like his father. He never told anyone what he heard the one and only time he dared to sneak into his father's study and hide in the closet. He was very young and he was curious to know what the men talked about when they retired behind the closed doors after his parents' dinner parties. As his father and his guests consumed more and more expensive brandy, they became freer in discussing some of their youthful indiscretions. Draco could not forget his fascination and his horror as he listened to his father describe how he had clandestinely 'eliminated' the son of another powerful pure-blood family who was vying for Narcissa Black's affection. To this day, Draco was sure that his mother never learned the real story behind the mysterious disappearance of the unfortunate wizard.

Draco turned away from the window, disgusted with both the scene he had just witnessed and his own 'weakness' as his father would have called it. Lucius would have left Potter behind in the carriage house for the Death Eaters to do with as they pleased. On the other hand, his father might very well have taken Potter with them to solidify his role of caring hero in Ginny's eyes. He may have even feigned concern for Potter's injuries and offered to help care for him until Ginny's back was turned. Then he would have comforted her, lamenting along with her that Potter's injuries must have been far worse than they suspected for him to have succumbed to them.

Draco smiled maliciously as he fantasized about several ways he could have rid himself of Potter for good while he lay vulnerable and unconscious. Then he shook his head. He was not a murderer; hell, he didn't even have the stomach to use the whip on Potter when he had the chance. Somehow along the way, and for this he blamed his mother, he had developed something that no true Death Eater had; a conscious, flawed though it may be.

Grudgingly he approached the fireplace. Other than Andromeda's house and his mother's cottage by the sea, there was only one other place he was able to safely go. While Pansy Parkinson was a pale substitute for the one woman he wanted, she still welcomed him with open arms even after he told her everything; everything that is except for the fact that he was destined to covet Ginny Weasley for a very long time.

"I think I like that suggestion much better," Ginny said breathlessly when their kiss finally ended. She took Harry by the hand and the smile she gave him far outshined the sunlight beaming down upon them. "When I finally regain my memory, I hope I find out that Draco is not representative of what I've considered to be my type in the past."

"Don't worry; he's not," Harry replied, giving her hand a playful squeeze and flashing a roguish grin. Taking Ginny into his arms again, he kissed her again and as she eagerly wrapped her arms around his neck and her body melting against him, he was amazed by how perfect she made his world seem.


	26. Harpy's Flight

**A/N- ** Surprise! No six month wait for the next chapter this time. Hope you enjoy!

**Chapter 26 – Harpy's Flight **

"Mum! I'll be fine!" Ginny groaned, pulling her hair back into a haphazard ponytail. "You heard what Gwenog said; there'll be security guards all around the stadium. Nothing's going to happen!"

Glancing at her mother's reflection in the mirror, she saw Molly Weasley was standing in the doorway of her bedroom with her arms crossed forebodingly and her lips drawn into such a firm, thin line that they had nearly disappeared.

_Not her eyes! Don't look your Mum in the eye! _Ginny mentally advised herself. _Damn! Too late!_

Not only were Molly's eyes drilling holes of utter disapproval straight into her daughter's back, but she was channeling her best 'you know I love you, HOWEVER you are NOT going to do this because I'm your mother and you know that I know what's best' edict into her glare.

_Merlin, she is good! _Ginny thought and she looked back at her own reflection before she succumbed.

"How can you be sure?" Molly shifted tactics when she realized that her daughter's stubborn streak had not disappeared along with her memory. "That madman is still out there! He's already tried to kill you once and you saw what he did to Harry! Who knows what he'll do next! I thought we'd agreed that it's too dangerous for you to go out in public, which includes playing Quidditch!"

"No, Mum," Ginny answered in the calmest tone she could muster and turned determinedly to face her mother, "you, Dad and Harry agreed!"

"And you don't?" Molly replied incredulously, shifting to place her hands on her hips. "You still haven't recovered completely from your ordeal! I can tell! You still look tired and you're too pale! You haven't been sleeping well, have you?"

It was true. Ginny was still suffering nightmares which continued to make a full night's sleep impossible, but that was the last thing she wanted to get into with her mother right now.

"I need to _do_ something besides sit around all day long," Ginny answered evasively.

"We have been doing things!"

"Yes, I know, Mum, but that's not what I mean."

She had been keeping relatively busy over the past several weeks, either helping around the house or with dinner, going to visit with Teddy, Fleur and Victoire, or Hermione, or spending time with whoever came by The Burrow to see her. George was even starting to make a habit of having dinner with her and her parents whenever Angelina had to work late. His company was the one Ginny looked forward to the most, after Harry's. Her memory loss prevented her from knowing what George was like before the death of his twin during the Battle of Hogwarts, but Harry recently commented to her privately that he was moving toward becoming his old jovial self since she had come home.

However, even when surrounded by her family, Ginny was becoming more and more restless and, quite frankly, she was beginning to feel that if she didn't get away from The Burrow and do something soon, she was going to scream. She had grown to love her family, truly she did, and she gave prayers of thanks every day that Fate had provided her with a path back to them.

What she found maddening was that everyone, including Harry, continued to display a tendency toward over protection that seemed smothering at times.

While she understood the reason behind their concern, her understanding did not alleviate the fact that she felt something was missing in her life. Strangely, or maybe not, the only time the pang eased was when she was with Harry. Unfortunately, that was not nearly often enough since he continued to work long hours, trying to track down the golden masked Death Eater and his followers.

The moment she received the Floo call from Gwenog Jones the evening before, an exhilarating rush of excitement raced through her. The head coach of the Holyhead Harpies had expressed her relief that Ginny had survived the horrendous attack, but it did not take her long to come straight to the point of her call; given Ginny was not dead after all, her contract with the team was still binding. Gwenog then went on to all but command her to report to the Harpies training facility the next morning, ready to practice.

Molly had listened in silence to her daughter's conversation with Gwenog until she could no longer resist pointing out the fact that the Death Eaters had not yet been caught and the danger they still posed to her daughter. Never one to be deterred when the Harpies' chance of victory was on the line, Gwenog assured Molly of Ginny's safety by increasing their security measures for that very reason. In deference to Ginny's memory loss, and before Molly had the chance to voice further objections, Gwenog stated that she would arrive at the Burrow's Apparition point the next morning at nine a.m. sharp to personally escort Ginny to the Harpies' training facility.

"Besides, I'm following the Healers' recommendation, aren't I?" Ginny argued, shifting her own tactics in the mother-daughter battle of wills. "They said going to as many places as I can that are supposed to be familiar to me and doing the things that I used to do could help restore my memory; that, if I'm not mistaken, would include playing Quidditch again."

"That may be so," Molly replied, "but I'm sure the Healers did not intend for you to do anything that will put your life in jeopardy!"

Ginny rolled her eyes as she brushed past her mother into the hallway and then down the stairs. "The only thing that's going to put my life in jeopardy is the fact that I haven't trained in so long, I'm likely to fall off my broom. Do you really think Gwenog would ask me to come back if she didn't think the team's security could handle dealing with the threat of Death Eaters?"

"Yes I do!" Her mother replied, following close on her daughter's heels. "She doesn't care about you and your safety! All that woman cares about is winning Quidditch games! We can't even be certain that call was actually from Gwenog!"

"You know it was!" Ginny grabbed the strap of her duffle bag from the couch and slung it over her shoulder. "The wards around the house do not allow just anyone to Floo call here, and access from the Harpies' office was never removed after the attack." When her mother took a breath to counter her argument, Ginny went on quickly, "Dad also proved it by using the Tracer charm on the ashes left in our fireplace; they came from the Holyhead Harpies' office."

"Maybe so, but how can we be sure that the person who placed the call wasn't a Death Eater or—"

Ginny stopped with her hand on the knob of the kitchen door and gave her mother an incredulous look. "Are you saying that Gwenog Jones is one of Golden Mask's Death Eaters?"

Molly looked slightly deflated. Her argument did not sound very logical even to her own ears but that did not mean she had given up.

"They could have used a disguise," her mother replied stubbornly. "You can't see someone's features clearly in the flames."

Ginny tutted skeptically, "You're being overly paranoid!"

"When it comes to the safety of my children, there is no such thing as being overly paranoid!"

"Fine," Ginny said with a heavy sigh. It seemed that her mother was not going to let the subject go until her fears were placated. "You're absolutely right."

"I… I am?" Molly was so surprised by Ginny's sudden attitude change that her eyebrows flew up to the middle of her forehead as she gaped at her daughter.

"You just made me realize something," Ginny stated. "The only way I know what Gwenog looks like is by the old fading poster of the Harpies in my room. Even though I saw her head in the flames, it doesn't mean that I can be sure of recognizing her in person. Maybe it's a good idea for you to come out with me to meet her and tell me if really it really is Gwenog."

"And if she's using Polyjuice?"

"Argh! Mum!" Ginny rolled her eyes again and stalked out the door.

"You haven't been to practice in months so, what's another day or two going to matter?" Molly insisted keeping pace beside Ginny. "At least give Harry a few days to out check into their security and—"

Ginny rounded on her mother, "You are _not_ going to bring Harry into this! He's busy enough as it is and he doesn't need the bother of checking into the Harpies' personnel!"

Not to mention, she thought to herself, since Harry was just as paranoid about her safety as her Mum, he would likely find a persuasive way to talk her out of going back to Quidditch just yet.

Molly gave her a calculating look, "Are you sure it's not more like you don't want Harry to find out what a stupid thing you're doing?"

"Of course that's not it!" Ginny lied as she wondered whether her mother was a skilled Occlumens. "I'm going to tell him." And she planned to; but not until after she had attended at least her first training session and proven that it was perfectly safe. "Just promise me you won't say anything to him until I get the chance."

"You're late, Red!"

The voice in the distance caught the attention of both women and saved Ginny from further argument with her mother.

Looking toward the gate, Ginny suddenly felt nervous about meeting Gwenog face-to-face, which, given her memory loss, might as well be for the first time. Her nerves were not eased by the impatient scowl the stocky, dark-skinned woman wore as she and her mother approached. An aura of unyielding authority surrounded Gwenog Jones, giving Ginny the immediate impression that this was definitely not a witch to mess with.

"I'm sorry, I, uh, was just—," Ginny started to apologize but her mother finished for her.

"Refusing her mother's advice when all I've done is point out the dangers of going off somewhere she'll be completely vulnerable while mad men are still on the loose."

"Good morning, Molly," Gwenog replied completely unfazed by the older woman's anger. Ginny glanced worriedly between her mother and Gwenog as each locked hard, determined eyes upon the other. Ginny was actually surprised when Gwenog looked away first.

"You need not worry about Ginny's safety," Gwenog stated calmly while her dark eyes scrutinized every detail of Ginny's appearance. "We've hired additional Security Wizards that will be stationed at all entrances and around the training pitch. She'll be perfectly safe."

Ginny heard her mother let out a skeptical huff but her attention remained on Gwenog who was looking her over as critically as she might a hippogriff on the auction block. Despite the fact that Ginny felt uncomfortable under Gwenog's appraising eye, she still found herself hoping with all her might that the Quidditch legend found her worthy.

"You've lost some weigh," Gwenog stated and her frown deepened, "as well as muscle tone."

Ginny looked down at her body self-consciously, wondering how Gwenog could tell such things through her jeans and a sweatshirt.

"What do you expect?" Molly demanded, arguing on her daughter's behalf despite herself. "The poor girl nearly died! She wound up unconscious for over a month and then she awoke with no memory of the people who care about her most!"

Gwenog stopped in front of Ginny, and her eyes rested on the younger girl's face, "You haven't been getting enough sleep, either."

Ginny's eyes widened in surprise. She thought her mother was exaggerating in an attempt to get her to stay home, but maybe she really did look that tired due to the continued interruption of sleep caused by her nightmares.

"I want you in bed no later than nine o'clock every night," Gwenog stated. "I won't have one of my players falling asleep on her broom! We're also going to have to put you on an intensive weight training program if there's any hope to get you into form for the start of the season. Let's go; no time like the present."

Gwenog reached for Ginny's arm, ready to take her to the training facility by Side-Along Apparition, but Molly quickly intervened.

"Just one moment! You aren't taking Ginny anywhere until I'm assured you are really Gwenog Jones."

"Excuse me?" Gwenog was quite accustomed to the fame her Quidditch career afforded her and she could not recall the last time someone attempted to keep her from doing whatever she wanted. "Of course I'm 'the real Gwenog Jones.' Who else would I be?"

"Mum's afraid you could be a Death Eater in disguise," Ginny stated resignedly. "It'll be best if you just humor her."

"Humor me?" Molly snapped indignantly. "Far be it for a mother to be concerned for her daughter's welfare and safety!"

"Yeah, yeah." Ginny waved her hand dismissively. Her patience with her mother's over protectiveness was nearing its limits. "Like the first thing a Death Eater would be worried about is how skinny and tired I look."

"Do not take that tone with me, Ginevra Molly Weasley!" Molly advanced on her daughter, pointing a stern finger straight at her daughter's nose.

"Alright, then, Molly," Gwenog intervened, checking her watch. "What's it going to take to convince you that I am who I say I am?"

Molly crossed her arms triumphantly, "Tell me the _exact_ words you said to Ginny after you found out she and Harry were engaged."

Ginny rolled her eyes yet again and crossed her arms angrily; how could anyone be expected to remember a conversation that took place well over a year ago?

"As I recall, I said 'I don't care if you're marrying the Savior of the Wizarding World or Merlin himself. If Harry Potter knocks you up before the end of next season I'll fix him so that he won't get the chance to do it again. And congratulations, by the way.'"

Although she did not dare, Ginny nearly laughed at the expression on her mother's face; apparently Gwenog had provided the correct answer, but Molly was not happy about it.

"Is there anything else?" Gwenog asked raising one eyebrow.

Molly Weasley looked as if she was fighting an internal battle with herself and she finally responded in defeat, "You are sure your new security measures are enough?"

"We have made arrangements to have five additional security Wizards guarding the premises whenever Ginny is present. Does that satisfy your concern?"

"No, which I assume won't matter to either of you."

"Of course it matters, Mum," Ginny smiled reassuringly. "This is something I want to do. I _need_ to get back into Quidditch. Try not to worry so much. Now," she held her hand out to her mother, "take my hand and swear to me that you won't go running right off to Harry this morning to tattle on me."

"But—"

"Mum! I am a grown woman! I really don't need your permission!"

"You're a grown woman who doesn't want her fiancé to know where she's going and what she's doing!"

"Ginny isn't going to be in anymore danger than—" Gwenog began to protest until Molly pointed a stern finger at her as well.

"You stay out of this!" Molly snapped, ignoring the affronted expression on Gwenog's face.

"Swear it to me!"

"Oh, alright!" Molly finally gave in to her daughter's pleading look, albeit very reluctantly, and took her hand. "I swear!"

"Thank you!" Ginny's smile broadened when she felt the warm, magical tingle of her mother's promise run up her fingers.

"I'll be perfectly safe." She gave her mother a kiss on the cheek. "See you tonight."

An ominous premonition stole over Molly as she was left staring at the empty space Ginny and Gwenog had occupied only moments before. It did not matter how much security Gwenog put in place; something dreadful was going to happen if Ginny went back to playing Quidditch again, she could feel it with every fiber of her being.

xxxxxxxxx

"Cross them off, too." Harry ran a hand through his hair giving evidence to his frustration.

He and his team were gathered in their meeting room, all facing one of the walls on which hung photos of the Death Eaters Harry had identified as being present at Malfoy Manor. Each watched solemnly as Seamus drew a red 'X' across the pictures of Marcus Flint and Malcolm Baddock, whose badly decomposed bodies were discovered in yet another abandoned building in the middle of the city.

"That makes a total of five in just the past few days," Ben commented, thumbing through the report outlining the discovery of the two most recent victims.

"I wish we got to those two and Acastus Osmore before Golden Mask did," Ron stated ruefully.

"I do, too, for more reasons than one," Harry replied. The bite of Osmore's whip across his back was still all too vivid in his memory. "Hopefully we'll at least find Goyle alive; he's one I look forward to meeting up with again."

"I'm betting you'll probably get your wish eventually," Alicia said. "I doubt Golden Mask will go after him; Goyle's too stupid to be much of a threat."

"Or it may be just the opposite," Seamus countered as he sat back down at the table. "If I were Golden Mask, I'd be more concerned that Goyle's too stupid to know how to keep his mouth shut."

"We don't necessarily know that Golden Mask is the one who killed them," Ben stated, tossing the report he had been reading into the growing pile in the middle of the table.

The others all looked at him incredulously but Kevin spoke up first, "Then we've stumbled across quite an improbable coincidence given five of the men Harry identified have been found murdered, not to mention they were all stabbed. Perhaps Golden Mask did not personally killed them, but it seems to me he's trying to clean house and in a way that can't be detected magically."

A knock on the door drew the team's attention just before it was opened by a junior Auror named Kent Atwater.

"Sorry to interrupt," Kent said as his eyes passed over those in the room before landing on Harry. "Stacie is looking for you, Harry. She said there's someone here asking to see you."

"Now's not a good time," Harry answered with a frown. It wasn't unusual for people to come to the Ministry asking to meet with him, but they never usually got past Stacie. Director Candlehard's assistant deemed it her personal mission to ensure people who he did not know and anyone from the press did not bother him. "Did she tell you who it is?"

"No," Auror Atwater replied; "she only said she knew you would want to take the meeting."

"Alright. I better go see what this is about." Harry trusted Stacie's judgment, so if she thought he would want to meet with his mystery guest, then she was probably correct. "You guys continue with the briefing and I'll be back in a bit."

Harry's curiosity and concern grew as he approached Director Candlehard's office and then he felt the bottom drop out of his stomach when he saw the red-haired woman sitting impatiently in one of the chairs near Stacie's desk, twisting a handkerchief worriedly in her hands.

"Molly!" Harry quickened his pace to reach her. "Is it Ginny? Is she alright?"

"She's fine," Molly assured, noticing that Harry had paled visibly in the few seconds it took him to cross the room to reach her. "At least I hope so. She was when she left. Oh, Harry! She wouldn't listen to reason and so I'm worried—"

"What do you mean she left?" Harry asked, frowning. "Left to go where? Wait, let's go in here."

He nodded his thanks to Stacie and lead Molly into a small empty room next to Director Candlehard's office.

The moment the door was shut, he turned expectantly to Ginny's mother. "Where did she go?"

"I tried to talk sense into her," Molly stated starting to pace the room. "She just wouldn't hear it!"

"Molly, where did Ginny go?" Harry asked again, his mind sifting through the few places that, given her memory loss, Ginny would even want to go to a place that would raise her mother's concern; and then he knew the answer just as Molly told him.

"To the Harpies stadium! She's decided to start playing again!"

Harry swore under his breath as Molly went on to tell him about Gwenog Jones's call and her arrival to escort Ginny that morning. So much for thinking the question regarding whether Ginny would return to Quidditch at this point in time had been settled. Knowing Ginny as he did, Harry was not particularly surprised; he had fallen in love with a very stubborn woman.

"Gwenog said the team hired additional security specifically to ensure Ginny's safety, but even so, I thought you ought to know."

"I've seen some of the people they've hired for security in the past," Harry scoffed. "I wouldn't let them guard a Niffler."

"Maybe if you talk to her again she'll listen," Molly said hopefully.

"Doubt it," Harry replied under his breath and his skeptical tone heightened Molly's concern even more. "I voiced my opinion the other night at dinner. You and Arthur did as well, and I thought she understood the danger the Death Eaters still pose."

"What are we going to do?" Molly's voice shook slightly making Harry feel guilty that his own worry was upsetting her even more.

"First of all, we aren't going to panic," Harry stated and looked at his watch, which read 12:10. "There's always someone from the press at the stadium when the team practices, but hopefully it will still take a little while for word to spread that Ginny's been spotted. When did she and Gwenog leave?"

"About three hours ago."

"Three hours?" Harry questioned, failing to understand why it had taken that long for Molly to contact him.

"Ginny planned to go no matter how much I objected and she managed to get me to swear that I wouldn't tell you about it _this morning_," Molly answered his unspoken inquiry. "Of course she said nothing about not to telling you after noontime."

"I'm glad she didn't," Harry said and he gave Molly a reassuring hug. "I'll go over to the stadium now, so try not to worry."

"Thank you!" Molly said with relief. "Maybe you can get her to see things more reasonably."

"I can try," Harry answered but how he was going to talk sense into one Ginevra Weasley, he had no idea.

xxxxxxxxxx

Once free of the squeezing sensation of Apparition, Ginny opened her eyes to see that they had arrived outside a large Quidditch stadium. A broad chested, bored-looking wizard dressed in green robes and wearing a badge that officially stated that he was a member of 'Holyhead Harpies Security' was standing in front of a large wooden door. He nodded in recognition to Gwenog and when he stepped aside for them to pass, his eyes widened with surprise when they landed on Ginny.

"Welcome back, Miss Weasley," he said happily, all signs of boredom now gone. "Looks like the Harpies will have a fighting chance this coming season, after all, eh?"

"I certainly hope so, Marlow," Gwenog replied. "Shall I send you some backup? Once word gets out that Red here is back, you may find your hands full."

"No need," Marlow stated, cracking his knuckles and grinning broadly. "I'm rather looking forward to it. It's about time I had something more to do than just stand around watching the grass grow."

Marlow pulled the door open for them, and offering him a quiet thank you, Ginny stepped through the portal.

The moment the heavy door closed behind them shutting them off from the warmth of the sunlight, Ginny had to fight the urge to turn around and run right back outside. They had entered the mouth of a long, stone-walled tunnel illuminated by torches that cast an eerie, greenish glow. Ginny found it unsettling, almost irrationally so, and for a moment she expected to see _him_ step from the shadows to once again drag her into the pits of Hell.

Ginny forced down her growing panic with a great amount of effort; the last thing she needed was for Gwenog to think the attack had left her unhinged.

Hundreds of years ago numerous serpentine tunnels had been dug through layers of stone and rock under the Holyhead Harpies' stadium forming a maze of crisscrossing passageways. As Ginny and Gwenog made their way along, they came to various junctions of other tunnels lit by torches of various colors including blue, pink, crimson and even purple. Each time they came to an intersecting tunnel Ginny silently hoped that they would take it instead so she could get away from the disturbing green.

"You'll get used to it quickly enough," Gwenog was saying. "Just don't forget to check the bulletin board in the locker room after every practice so you know which colors to follow when you leave and come back for the next day's practice; it's important, since not only do the hallways change color, they shift direction every so often; just like the staircases at Hogwarts."

The simile was lost on Ginny since she had no memory of Hogwarts, but she understood the importance just the same.

"We started using this labyrinth as added security just after your relationship with Harry Potter became public. The press went crazy trying to get to you for interviews and pictures. It became so bad that we decided to have the staff and players use the tunnels to keep reporters away from everyone."

"Why let the press in at all if it got that bad?" Ginny asked.

"If it was up to me, we wouldn't," Gwenog answered tersely. "Unfortunately none of the other teams in the league deny press access to their stadiums, so our team owners wouldn't let us either. It was a tough enough compromise as it was. The tunnels have been a blessing, actually. Since the war, no team allows anyone to Apparate directly into their facilities; not even their players. These tunnels provide private access for the team and staff; plus they discourage the press and overzealous fans from wandering where they shouldn't. Henreed Haglestone from that _Wicked Witch _rag ended up lost down here for close to three months a while back. I haven't heard of anyone else trying to sneak through since."

They came to an intersection that branched off into six different directions and, to Ginny's relief, Gwenog chose the right most tunnel that was lit by red-colored torches rather than green.

"This is why you need to pay attention to the colors on the team board so you know which tunnel to take from this point." Ginny nodded her understanding, noticing the tunnel had started to slope upward as Gwenog continued. "Personally, I think it's a shame they found Haglestone at all."

"Why's that?"

"You really have forgotten everything, haven't you?" Gwenog queried, giving her an appraising look.

"Yes, I have," Ginny answered tightly. "Do you think I'd make something like that up?"

"Don't get your back up," Gwenog replied calmly. "I've just never heard of such a long and complete case of memory loss; temporary ones, sure. We get at least four or five a season, usually as a result of a crack in the skull from a Bludger; but in those cases there's only partial memory loss such as forgetting what happened during the game or for the past few days. I've never known someone to completely forget who they are and everything else about themselves. Since Death Eaters have become active again, I thought perhaps your case was something that the Ministry or Aurors cooked up for some reason or other."

"I wish it was made up, but it's not," Ginny stated flatly.

"To answer your question about dear Mr. Haglestone," Gwenog went on, still clearly annoyed over what had happened, "his unfortunate incident occurred about ten months ago, and within a week of several, shall we say, noteworthy photographs of several Holyhead Harpies players appearing in his magazine."

"Photographs?" Ginny asked, her voice sounding higher than usual and she cleared her throat. "Do I, dare ask the type of magazine we're talking about?"

"_Wicked Witch: Entertainment for Wizards,"_ Gwenog spat in disgust. "You were, shall I say, the _center_ of attention in what turned out to be one of the best selling issues they've ever had. Given that swine feely admitted right after he was found that he'd been trying to find his way up into the team showers, camera still in hand, mind you, it would have suited me just fine if he'd been lost down here forever."

Gwenog noticed Ginny worriedly chewing her bottom lip. "No use concerning yourself about it now, Red. The photos are old news. I suppose we can be thankful he never made it to the showers and the photos they did publish weren't as bad as they could have been; 'tasteful' and 'art form' was how our publicity people spun it since everyone's important parts were strategically covered."

"Easy for you to say," Ginny grumbled. "But why would a magazine want to publish photos like that of me?"

"Have you looked in a mirror lately?" Gwenog asked, glancing sideways at her. "You aren't exactly a troll."

"Gee, thanks," Ginny rolled her eyes. "But—"

"You were starting to make a name for yourself as a damn good Chaser," Gwenog explained. "It certainly didn't hurt that you were engaged to Harry Potter, savior of the Wizarding World and Vanquisher of the evilest Dark Wizard of all time. Why do you think they'd smack their greedy little lips if they could get their hands on photos of you?"

"That still doesn't explain how they got them in the first place!" Ginny insisted. "I didn't… I mean I never would have posed…"

"I told you not to do it," Gwenog replied, annoyance clear in her voice and Ginny's heart sank. She had actually posed for the photos?!

"I've been in this business nearly longer than all of you combined. I tried telling you that tabloids always find out about these things if they think it's juicy or compromising enough. Of course you lot didn't listen and you all went right ahead with your photo shoots anyway. And what happened? Someone working for the photographer sold the photos to _Wicked Witch_. You, along with your teammates Galilani, Griffin, and Grayson said it was all the rage and that you'd found the perfect Christmas gift for your boyfriends. Instead, each of you not only gave your blokes a memorable gift but you provided a very happy holiday for every lonely Wizard, and probably quite a few Witches, throughout Europe."

Ginny was now thankful for the dim light for she could feel her face flame with embarrassment. What must her family have thought? What had Harry thought? Had it bothered him that her intimate gift that was meant for his eyes only had been made public?

"Some good did out of it, though," Gwenog was saying. "Our game attendance shot up after that, so that shut up the front office and stopped the team owners from firing anyone once they realized how much more money they'd make. Now there's talk of selling a team calendar this year; bloody hypocrites."

Ginny glanced at Gwenog, aghast, "Surely the owners can't make us to do that!"

"Apparently they can try since they're claiming it's considered publicity and that everyone on the team is contractually obligated to participate. I wouldn't worry too much, though. I told them that if each player wasn't allowed to wear enough clothing to feel comfortable, then they shouldn't be surprised when all of you end up catching cold and calling in too sick to play. After that, they backed off quite a bit."

"Good," Ginny said with a relieved grin as they came to a flight of steps at the end of the tunnel.

She followed behind Gwenog up and through a door that led to another short hallway whose width was made narrower by various pieces of gym equipment stored along its walls. The sound of female voices reached Ginny's ears as they approached a metal doorway labeled 'Locker Room' and her stomach fluttered nervously. She was about to be reintroduced to her teammates and she had no idea what to expect.

"Alright you lot!" Gwenog called in an authoritative voice. "Listen up; I've brought a surprise with me!"

Silence immediately descended when Gwenog stepped aside, revealing Ginny's presence behind her. The quiet lingered for no more than a heartbeat before her teammates' squeals and excited screams of joy echoed through the room.

"Ginny!"

"Oh, my God, it's Red!"

"Welcome back! It's great to see you!"

Ginny's teammates swarmed towards her, most with tears of joy in their eyes, hugging her profusely and talking all at once.

Gwenog allowed the hubbub to go on for several minutes, giving her team time to celebrate the return of someone that most of them had come to think of as a sister. Ginny's 'death' had hit them hard, both professionally and personally; not only had she been on her way to becoming one of the top chasers in the league, but Ginny had a spirit and a love for Quidditch that was infectious.

Right from the start, Gwenog had complimented herself for fighting so hard to ensure the Holyhead Harpies was the team that signed Ginny Weasley. The girl turned out to be well liked by their fans and players alike and, in Gwenog's opinion, she had been the final element that melded them as a team.

That point was driven home after the Harpies completely fell apart in the wake of Ginny's absence. At first the fans and sports columnists were supportive and understanding of their abysmal performance and subsequent losses; they initially understood the effect such a tragic death of a teammate could have. Unfortunately, the public's fickle opinion shifted as quickly as the wind and the honeymoon was soon over. It also didn't help that Ginny's replacement, Glendora Speedwell, had difficulty even finding the rings, let alone scoring lately; unfortunately, Gwenog could find no one else on such a short notice that played any better.

"Settle down!" Gwenog called. "You were supposed to be on the pitch twenty minutes ago, so let's get the introductions over and practice started."

"Introductions?" A stocky brunette who was a few inches taller than Ginny asked. Her brown eyes filled with concern as she looked at Ginny. "I didn't want to believe all the rumors I've heard. You have lost your memory, then?"

Their enthusiastic and friendly welcome had done wonders to settle Ginny's nerves and the genuine worry in the brunette's eyes helped her feel even more relaxed. "I'm afraid so."

"That must be horrible for you!" exclaimed a tall, pretty black woman who had hugged her enthusiastically. "But other than that, how have you been? You're back at The Burrow then? Is there anything we can do to help you? Oh, we've really missed you!"

The other woman hugged her again, and Ginny returned the gesture, feeling an immediate kinship.

When they parted Ginny was laughing along with her teammates at the other's succession of questions and warm enthusiasm and she ticked off the answers good-naturedly on her fingers.

"Let's see; forgetting everyone and everything about my past has not been easy, but all things considered I'm doing very well. Yes I've been back with my family at The Burrow for a few weeks now and you can all help by letting me get to know each of you again. I'm almost overwhelmed by your wonderful greeting and I can't tell you how excited I am to start playing again."

This started another chorus of happy voices welcoming her back along with promises to help her in any way that they could.

Just as Gwenog made another attempt to rein them in and start the introductions, Ginny heard a voice ring out from behind the five women who had surrounded her.

"But what about poor Harry? Doesn't that mean you can't remember him, either?"

They all turned toward the one who spoke and for the first time Ginny noticed two other women standing apart from the others.

"No," Ginny responded in a quiet voice. "I haven't been able to recall him either."

"Then surely you won't be marrying him now. I mean how can you? He's nothing more than a stranger to you now, is he?"

The well proportioned platinum blond who had asked the question was eyeing her with cool curiosity, but it was the loathing in the glare of the other woman standing next to her that struck Ginny even more. She was standing as still as a statue, her wavy honey-colored hair pulled back in a bushy pony tail and her blue eyes narrowed slightly at Ginny. She seemed to suddenly realize that the rest of the team was looking at her and she quickly dropped her gaze to the floor.

"What does it matter to you?" the black woman shot back, saving Ginny from having to formulate a response. "It's not like you have any more of a chance with him now than you did before!"

An angry flush painted the blonde's face and the butterflies in Ginny's stomach twitched their wings nervously in reaction to the exchange about Harry. The venom in the other woman's gaze did not help matters any, either. Everyone else seemed happy to see her, so what was the problem with these two?

Gwenog stepped forward giving the women a warning glare of her own, "Ginny, this is Geramina Bagnold," she indicated the blond and then the other, "and Glendora Speedwell. They play the position of Chaser along with Susan Galilani."

"That would be me," Susan stepped up to Ginny with a smile but then her eyes hardened somewhat when she glanced meaningfully at Glendora. "I can't tell you how wonderful it is to have you back."

She then leaned closer to Ginny's ear, "Don't mind them; they're just jealous."

"That they are." Even though Susan had whispered her comment to Ginny, the brunette had heard her and she stepped forward, introducing herself.

"Xenosa Gravelpone, Beater. Speedwell got your position while you've been gone, and when she isn't playing Quidditch, Bagnold there fancies herself God's gift to men, including yours."

"Excuse me?" Geramina Bagnold asked indignantly, drawing herself up.

"Knock it off!" Gwenog snapped. "I've already warned you that I will not tolerate anyone bringing their squabbles onto the pitch! If I find that it does, you'll be benched. Need I spell it out further?"

Gwenog eyed the three warningly.

"This is Odina Griffin, our other Beater," Gwenog continued as if she had not just issued a dire warning and the one she indicated stepped forward rather shyly.

"Hi, Ginny. It's really good to have you back." Odina's dark eyes sparkled with warmth and genuine welcome as she gave Ginny a quick hug.

"Thank you," Ginny responded with an appreciative smile of her own. Odina was quite pretty with dark eyes and nearly black hair that contrasted strikingly with her pale skin. At least another one of her teammates seemed genuinely happy about her return.

"I'm Gaea Grayson," the tall black woman said. With her attention on Ginny rather than Glendora and Geramina, she was grinning widely. "I play Keeper. And let me introduce our captain, Seeker and the old lady of our team, Gail Smethwyk."

"You don't need to be nasty just because I have more experience in the game than the rest of you kids combined!" Gail snapped at Gaea but when Ginny saw the good humor shining in her eyes, she realized their words were nothing more than friendly banter. "Welcome back, Red."

"Thank you. I'm very happy to be back," Ginny replied, grateful that the team captain welcomed her warmly as well.

"Right, now that's done, we've already cut into our training time as it is," Gwenog said impatiently with a glance at her watch. "I want everyone on the pitch within the next ten minutes or you'll all be putting in an extra hour in the weight room tonight."

Gwenog's words were met with loud groans and everyone but Gaea, who was already dressed in her practice robes, moved toward their lockers to finish dressing for practice.

"You can use the locker next to mine again," Gaea said, leading Ginny to a locker in the far corner of the room that was between her own and Odina's.

"It's so fabulous to have you back!" Gaea said happily.

Odina gave Ginny another shy smile as they approached but she continued dressing into her practice uniform in silence.

"The team just hasn't been the same without you," Gaea added as Ginny opened her duffle bag and pulled out her toiletries to place them on a shelf in the locker.

"I'm glad that some of you think so, anyway," Ginny said quietly. Even though she felt welcomed by the majority of her teammates, she could not help feeling somewhat disappointed by the way Glendora Speedwell and Geramina Bagnold had reacted to her return.

"You can't worry about those other two," Gaea insisted dismissively. "You never did before. Oh, you're going to need practice robes aren't you?"

"Unless I'm going to play in my underwear," Ginny grinned.

"No, that won't do," Gaea said with a smirk.

"I'll go find some robes for you," Odina offered, shutting her locker door. "I'll be back in a minute."

As Odina hurried off, Gaea continued, "Another round of photos like that would likely give the old-greasers in the office a heart attack; especially if they aren't the ones making the money off of it. I'll have to tell you all about that little fiasco sometime."

"Gwenog already did," Ginny stated dryly and then she changed the subject to what was more on her mind. "Can you tell me about Glendora and Geramina? They don't seem at all happy that I'm back."

"Speedwell's problem is simple," Gaea answered with a shrug. "She took over your position as Chaser and she knows that with you back, she'll be getting a ticket back down to the minor league."

"Not necessarily," Ginny protested. "I still need to prove that I can play better than she does to get my position back."

"That's just a formality," Gaea stated confidently and she took a seat on the bench between the two rows of lockers. "You're an all-round better player than Glendora and everyone knows it. And you're a hell of a lot nicer to boot!"

"Thanks," Ginny grinned but it faded quickly. While she had outwardly ignored it, she could not help wondering about the comments that had been made linking Geramina and Harry. "And Geramina? Does she know Harry well?"

Gaea surprised Ginny when she snorted with amusement, "Geramina's completely full of herself and quite probably the vainest creature you'll ever meet; she expects every man who crosses her path to fall at her feet. I don't doubt that there's some Veela blood in that one."

Ginny felt her heart sink; she did not find the thought of a relationship between Geramina and Harry amusing at all. Geramina was extremely beautiful with her long, blond hair, large blue eyes, completely freckle-free complexion and curvy body; certainly most men, including Harry, would easily be attracted to her.

Ginny did not really want to let on how much Geramina's comment had affected her and she turned her back on Gaea in the guise of arranging her toiletries more neatly in her locker. Gaea, however, was not fooled.

"I guess that answers my question regarding whether you and Harry are still together after everything that's happened. Let me assure you that when it comes to Harry you have absolutely no reason to worry about Geramina or any other woman, for that matter."

"I don't know how 'together' we are at this point," Ginny replied with a heavy sigh.

"You are working on it?" Gaea asked hopefully. "I get the feeling just from this short conversation of ours that even though you can't remember him or your relationship from before the attack, you already have feelings for him, yes?"

Ginny looked down as she nodded her head affirmatively. "We have a long way to go yet and there are a few things I still need to come to terms with."

Maybe she should confide in Gaea about her nightmares. It certainly would be nice to talk to someone about them; especially someone who wasn't Harry or family.

"Well, don't give Geramina another thought," Gaea insisted with a mischievous glint in her eyes. "She tried making a play for Harry during our team Christmas party, which was right after it became public that you two were dating again. We were having a great season and everyone, you and Harry included, were celebrating with some excellent elf-made wine. When you went to the loo, Geramina cornered Harry, conjured mistletoe over his head and threw herself at him. Literally."

Ginny quirked an eyebrow and Gaea chuckled gleefully. "I'm surprised she actually had the nerve to bring his name up today after that."

"Why? What happened?"

"I can't recall Harry's exact words, but I do remember he made it extremely clear that you were the one and only woman that he was interested in and that it would be a very cold day in a particularly unlikely locale before he'd consider taking Geramina up on her offer."

Gaea savored the memory and then added, "The look on Geramina's face was priceless! I don't think she'd ever had a man turn her down before, and especially not as bluntly."

The thought of Harry boldly and openly stating his preference for her over the beautiful Geramina warmed Ginny through and through and she smiled widely. "So Harry put her in her place then, did he?"

"That he did!"

"Here are some robes for you," Odina returned, handing them to Ginny. "You'd better hurry, though. Gwenog is already blowing her whistle and screaming like a banshee at somebody for screwing up their part of the drills."

Ginny thanked her for the robes and quickly dressed.

"We still have your broom and gloves over here." Gaea lit a wall sconce with a wave of her hand, illuminating an entire wall on which hung numerous brooms. "The team offered all of your equipment to your family after what happened, but your father told Gwenog to give everything to Harry. Gwenog tried and tried to contact him; I did as well, but he never returned our messages. Finally Gwenog and I went to the Ministry to see him. He thanked us but he refused to take them. It wasn't hard to tell that just looking at your broom was painful for him, so it's been here ever since. I felt so bad for Harry, and I could hardly believe how different he looked."

"What do you mean, different?" Ginny asked with a frown as she pulled on the gloves that had been hanging with her broom.

"Merlin, Red, do you have any idea how much that man loves and adores you?"

Ginny's eyes grew wide, and Gaea grinned. "And you felt the same way about him, trust me." Then she sobered quickly. "I only saw Harry twice after everyone thought you had died; once a few weeks before your memorial service and then once at the service. He looked terrible, as if he hadn't eaten or slept since the attack. Whenever I used to see the two of you together, you were both always so happy, so full of life. Like each of you was reflecting the light and sparkle of life of the other, you know? When Harry thought you were gone, the light and the life in his eyes disappeared. It was like something inside of him had broken or died with you."

Ginny silently contemplated Gaea's words as she walked with the other woman toward the pitch. Her description of Harry was that of a man who had been completely devastated and heartbroken when he thought he had forever lost the woman he loved. Here, yet again, was an example of the extreme contrast between the monster who haunted her dreams and the man that she was coming to know as Harry Potter.

Gwenog's shrill whistle blew again and Gaea grabbed Ginny's arm to hurry her along.

"Come on, Red. I don't know about you, but I don't feel like an extra hour in the weight room tonight."

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Almost from the start, Ginny began second-guessing her decision to participate in an official team practice before first reintroducing herself to the game and a training regiment in a more private setting.

Initially, she felt a sense of exhilaration when she kicked off the ground and took several laps around the stadium. She flew by the area designated for the press and noticed there was only a small handful of reporters and photographers present, but she gave them little thought; as she increased her speed with each lap she took, she was filled with the heady feeling of liberation that flying, wind on her face and blowing through her hair, gave her.

Then the drills began.

Whether it was from nerves or her prolonged inactivity over the past several months, her performance was mediocre, at best. While Ginny was able to keep up with Geramina and she easily surpassed Glendora in terms of speed and agility, her gloves might as well have been coated with butter, given her abysmal handling of the Quaffle. Most of the time she had trouble just hanging on to the dimpled ball properly and she missed sending it though the goal hoops more times than not. It did not help that when Glendora or Geramina passed her the ball, they tended to throw it just out of her reach so that she had to stretch in order to catch it. Ginny soon realized that they only did this when Gwenog was not watching and that they were deliberately trying to make her look as bad possible. This, however was not missed by her other teammates and practice was temporarily halted when Gaea and Xenosa confronted Ginny's antagonists for their blatant lack of sportsmanship.

Still, Ginny felt that if she had been in top form, Geramina and Glendora's attempts at sabotage would not have met with as much success.

If all of that was not enough to shake her confidence and concentration level, when Gwenog mercifully signaled the end of practice, Ginny decided to swing by one side of the pitch in a final attempt at a goal. Just as she aimed her last throw, she was startled by the flashing of numerous bright lights and a crowd of people yelling at her from the stands. At first she tried ignoring them, but as the calls and shouts became louder, she looked over and her eyes widened in amazement. Instead of only the few reporters and photographers that were in attendance earlier, the press area was now overflowing with what had to be at least a hundred people. With her attention diverted, she slowed down, which turned out to be a mistake for it encouraged the reporters to shout questions at her all at once.

"… true you've completely lost your memory?"

"Do you think you've earned your spot back on the team after the terrible way you played this afternoon?"

"Is your relationship with Draco Malfoy serious?"

"… honestly think you'll be ready to play with the Harpies again before the season…"

"… Harry Potter feels about his ex-fiancée seeing Draco Malfoy?"

"What caused you to break off your engagement with Harry Potter to be with…"

"What do you feel contributed to your poor performance today?"

"Does Harry still want to marry you even after learning about Mr. Malfoy?"

Ginny tried to block out their questions, especially those of a more personal nature, but it was too late and the damage was done. It was difficult enough to hear them put to voice just how badly she had played today with some semblance of dignity; after all, they were only echoing her own thoughts on the matter. However, it was their questions about her relationship with Harry and Draco that she was not prepared for.

Ginny heard Gwenog blow her whistle again and she pulled her attention away from the loud mob of reporters. She slowly made her way to the ground, dismounted her broom and headed toward the team locker room with the others.

"What happed out there today, Weasley?" Gwenog strode angrily over to her. "How can we count on you to score if you can't hold onto the Quaffle!"

"Ginny didn't play that badly," Gail, the team captain, came to Ginny's defense and looked at her kindly. "It's the first time you've been able to practice in several months. We know what you're capable of; you just need time to train up again."

"Thanks, but Gwenog's right," Ginny acknowledged miserably. She could not hold Glendora and Geramina's gaze when they passed by wearing barely veiled smirks. "I played like complete rubbish."

"Yes you did—" Gwenog started to say before Gaea interrupted.

"It wasn't Ginny's fault! Several of our _teammates_," she stressed the word quite sarcastically, "did everything they could to make her look bad. I can't believe you didn't see it!"

Before Gwenog could answer, Ginny looked around frantically when shouts again erupted all around her. The throng of reporters had swarmed the past the security wizards and, even with the spells the wizards were shooting at them, many of the reporters continued to advance and call out questions to her.

"Miss Weasley! Do you think your skills are honed enough to play professionally any longer?"

"Has Harry Potter taken you back after you ran off with Draco Malfoy?"

"Are you still engaged or doesn't he want a harlot for a future wife?"

Ginny couldn't take anymore. She had not realized just how badly she wanted to play Quidditch for the Harpies, but her desire to play quickly faded before her growing anxiety over the reporter's innuendo and accusations. She suddenly felt the need to get away from them as well as her teammates, and before anyone could stop her, she fled, tears of frustration blurring her vision.

She ran through the door and into the first tunnel that she thought led out of the stadium, still clutching her broom.

How could those reporters ask her such questions? It was not so much their comments about the disastrous practice, but the questioning of her character. As if it was her fault she had been attacked by Death Eaters and then stayed with someone other than Harry for several months during her convalescence; most of which she was unconscious.

She ran through the tunnel, the hurtful words echoing in her head, until she was finally forced to give in to a painful stitch developing in her side. She approached the kaleidoscope juncture of tunnels and, groaning to herself, she peered apprehensively down the green-lit passageway. Of all the possible colors of the rainbow, why did it have to be green?

Reminding herself that she was merely in the middle of a tunnel and not one of her nightmares, she gathered up her courage and entered the green passageway. She silently chastised herself for being so cowardly as to let something as simple as the color green bother her; after all, Harry's eyes were a beautiful shade of green, which she considered warm and comforting.

She had only taken a few steps when she thought she heard a noise in the distance and she froze. She was still breathing heavily which, to her ears, sounded incredibly loud in the quiet of the tunnel and she forced herself to take deep, even breaths. Cocking her head to the side, Ginny listened for the noise again; a good part of her hoped that she had only imagined the sound and the other part hoped to hear it again so she could identify its origin and whether it had come from ahead of her or from behind.

Several moments passed of listening to nothing but her own breathing and her heart pounding wildly in her ears. Hearing nothing further, she pulled out her wand as a safety precaution and continued on her way at a tense but quick pace, glancing back over her shoulder every so often to make sure no one was following her. At least for the moment, it seemed that she was quite alone.

Ginny continued to feel on edge, but she finally chalked it up to a disappointing practice on her part combined with the detestable questions the reporters had thrown at her. Their queries regarding her less than stellar performance were understandable. After all, she assumed most of them represented various sporting publications; but she never expected so many people to hurl accusatory questions or try to probe into more the personal matters of her life, especially since it was none of their business, anyway.

Another intersection lay up ahead and she looked back over her shoulder to assure herself that she was not being followed. Then, just as she took a quick step to continue on her way, she was brought up short when she crashed into someone who suddenly seemed to have appeared out of nowhere directly in front her.

She stumbled backward and the only thing that kept her from falling to the hard, stone floor was a vice-like grip encircling her upper arm. Still stunned by the encounter, Ginny looked up into the face of a man she could not recall ever seeing before and, as he grinned triumphantly at her, her startled cry echoed throughout the kaleidoscope tunnels.


	27. Bug and Leaks

**A/N- **A big thank you to everyone who continues to read this story and especially to those of you who took the time to leave a review- it is so very much appreciated! To thank you all further, and given I left the last chapter off on a bit of a cliffhanger, I thought the least I could do publish the next chapter quickly. So here you go & hope you enjoy!

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**Chapter 27 – Bug and Leaks**

With rising panic, Ginny wrenched her arm away from her captor and, still clutching her broom in one hand, she pointed her wand shakily at the paunchy, man now standing in front of her.

"W-who are you?"

"Easy there, miss." The man warily eyed her wand and slowly moved his hands away from a box hanging from straps that went around his neck. He held them up, palms toward her, to demonstrate that he was not armed. "I'm not going to hurt you."

Before Ginny could respond, her wand flew out of her hand and landed at the feet of a woman who sauntered into view from the adjoining tunnel.

"Well, well, Miss Ginevra Weasley! Isn't this a pleasant surprise?"

The woman's voice dripped with a honeyed-sweetness as she gave Ginny an appraising, almost hungry look from behind her rhinestone studded glasses.

"Should I know you?" Ginny took a cautious step backward as the woman moved closer. Her blond hair was done up in a mass of tight curls and Ginny estimated her to be around her parents' age, perhaps a bit younger, although it was hard to tell for certain in the green light.

"Oh my dear," the woman smiled widely, "it is true then?"

"What's true?" Ginny did not like the all-too greedy inflection in her voice and she took another step backward.

Ginny's glanced towards her wand; it was too far away to make a lunge for it, so her only likely course of action would be to try to run back to the stadium. The woman was wearing high-heeled shoes so she would be easy to outrun, but unfortunately the man would likely prove more difficult to get away from.

"Why, that the awful ordeal you suffered through a few months back has left you with no memory of your life, family or friends."

She held her hand out to Ginny and smiled widely, displaying several teeth that glinted in the torch light. "Rita Skeeter, investigative reporter for the _Daily Prophet_."

There was something about Rita Skeeter that Ginny instinctively did not like, and she made no move to take the woman's proffered hand.

"How did you get into the tunnel?" Ginny asked suspiciously. "I didn't think anyone but the players were allowed through here."

"Normally they aren't," Rita answered, keeping the smile plastered on her face, "but the truly gifted reporter with an extra Galleon can always find her way around any obstacle. Besides, I just couldn't help myself, you see. After listening to the scandalous questions that those amateurs were throwing at you, I knew you needed my assistance. You don't want your story told by just any old someone who can't find their way out of an ink well!"

Rita chuckled at her own joke, however Ginny did not find it amusing.

The man accompanying Rita Skeeter had managed to position himself just behind Ginny, which now meant that she would have to get by either Rita or the man in order to get away from them.

"I don't want my story told by anyone—"

Rita suddenly stepped closer and turned Ginny around so that they were both facing the man holding the box, which she now recognized as a camera.

"Smile nicely, dear."

Rita placed her arm around Ginny's shoulder and pulled her closer just as the photographer snapped their picture.

"Hey!"

The flash momentarily blinded her and Ginny pulled out of the reporter's clutches, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand to disperse the spots now floating in front of her. "I don't want my picture taken, either!"

"Perfect, Bozo," Rita said, ignoring Ginny's protests as she began rummaging through her handbag. "Now, tell me, Ginny; I can call you Ginny, can't I, dear?"

"I don't—"

"Ah, there you are." A tablet of paper jumped from the handbag followed by a long, green quill that immediately began to write on the tablet in mid air. "So is it true that you have no memory of your past? No recollection of your life, your family or your friends from before the attack?"

"No, I mean yes it's true, but I really don't feel like discussing it at the moment. Now if you'll excuse me, I really do have to be going—"

"It seems rather farfetched, doesn't it? A complete and prolonged loss of memory? I mean, to forget everything from your past, not to mention your relationships with _certain people_ in particular is quite rare, isn't it?"

"I wouldn't know, since I'm not a Healer," Ginny replied icily, stepping sideways only for Rita to step in front of her.

"You were saved from falling to your death by Draco Malfoy, who whisked you right off to safety in his home, is that correct?"

"I can't see how that's really any of your business," Ginny stated as she tried to formulate an escape plan.

"I had the pleasure of interviewing Mr. Malfoy several years ago," Rita stated reflectively, while expertly keeping herself directly in Ginny's path. "Such a nice young man; both he and his acquaintance, Ms. Parkinson, were very helpful when I was researching a story at the time. So let's see, you lived all alone with Mr. Malfoy for nearly two months. I can only imagine how _extremely_ grateful you were to him for saving your life."

"Of course I'm grateful that Draco saved my life," Ginny stated and she glanced askance at the quill that was scribbling frantically. She frowned at the thing, wondering what it could possibly be writing given there was not much in the way of a conversation going on between the annoying woman and herself.

"And we weren't alone," Ginny corrected coolly. Maybe this was a chance to set the record straight regarding the rumors that seemed to have started. "His servants were there as well."

"No one counts servants, my dear," Rita replied dismissively, as if Ginny should already understand this. "You and Mr. Malfoy surely must have become close? I mean a pretty young woman such as yourself and a handsome young man; alone for that amount of time, well, you know how it goes." Rita gave her a knowing smile. "Of course, that does not change the fact that you were engaged to another man. Once everyone discovered that you were alive, where you had been and who you were living with, it's understandable you'd come up with a story such as memory loss—"

"Wait just one minute!" Ginny protested angrily. "What do you mean '_story'_?"

If possible, the quill started writing even faster and Ginny snatched the pad out of the air. The light in the tunnel was not the best to read by so she had to hold it close to her face in order to see the words scribbled on it. The quill flew toward the pad, poking at her hand that was blocking its access to the paper and Ginny angrily batted it away. Glancing back at the parchment, she gasped at the last words the quill had written.

"…_sadly, Miss Weasley, with tears filling her eyes, became visibly upset when confronted with the truth of her betrayal." _

"'_Truth of her betrayal'_?" Ginny cried indignantly, waving the pad angrily in front of Rita. "What is this rubbish?"

"It's what my readers want to know," Rita pressed. "They want to know why and how you could do such a thing. You were set to marry the most eligible man the Wizarding world has to offer; not only is he rich and handsome, but he is, after all, The-Boy-Who-Lived, The-Chosen-One and defeater of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named! Yet instead of giving everyone's hero the fairy-tale wedding they expected him to have, you ran off with another man on the eve of your wedding, leaving your distraught fiancé to grieve, thinking you dead."

"We were attacked on the eve of our wedding, you twit!" Ginny snapped furiously. "And I was hurt and unconscious most of the time I was with Draco!"

"If you were so critically injured, why didn't Mr. Malfoy take you to the hospital?" Rita countered triumphantly as if she had just caught Ginny in a bold lie. "One can't help but wonder whether you ever truly loved Harry Potter, or was it only his fame and his money that you loved?"

Ginny could do nothing but stare at the woman, rendered speechless by her audacity and insinuations.

"How is he handling it?" Rita continued, taking the parchment from Ginny's hand so that the quill could continue documenting its half-truths and lies. "After dealing with so much tragedy throughout his life, how has he been coping with the knowledge that the woman he loved and was set to marry has fallen for his long-held rival?"

"Why don't you ask him yourself?"

The calm, even voice came from behind Rita and all eyes flew to the mouth of the tunnel as Harry Potter stepped into view. His appearance sent waves of relief over Ginny, whereas the reporter suddenly looked extremely nervous for the first time. Ginny couldn't really blame the woman for Harry cast a formidable figure, wand in hand and dressed in full Auror attire; however, it was the stony set of his jaw and the fury burning in his eyes that made his presence all the more alarming.

"Harry!" Rita exclaimed, unsuccessfully hiding her uneasiness. "How good to see you!"

"You haven't broken your old habits I see, Miss Skeeter," Harry said with a disdainful quirk of his eyebrow as his eyes flicked to Bozo and then back to Rita. "I'm sure Hermione's not going to be very happy when she learns you've forgotten the lesson she tried to teach you." Then he added, "Good afternoon, Ginny."

When her eyes met Harry's, her smile faltered on her lips for his eyes did not hold as much warmth as she was used to seeing in their green depths when he looked at her. The butterflies in her stomach gave a nervous flutter and she returned his greeting quietly, "Good afternoon."

Rita cleared her throat nervously when Harry turned his attention back to her. "I'm only trying to put all of the scandalous rumors to rest—"

"There were no scandalous rumors until your lackey planted them in the other reporters' ears earlier today," Harry countered, glancing accusingly at Bozo who remained silent but shifted uncomfortably under the Auror's gaze. "Questionable ethics aside, inciting public curiosity would certainly make an 'exclusive' all the more profitable for you. At Ginny's expense, of course."

He raised his wand and both Rita and Bozo scurried backward, bringing their arms up to shield themselves from Harry's curse. Instead of a jet of light issuing from his wand toward the two, the notepad merely flew towards him, followed closely by the quill. Harry easily grabbed the parchment out of the air just before a blinding mid-air ball of fire engulfed the quill, reducing it to nothing but ashes.

"That was a very expensive quill!" Rita shrieked angrily and then her tone turned threatening. "You're going to pay for that, Mr. Potter!"

Ignoring her outrage, Harry scanned the words written on the parchment. "No, Hermione will not be happy at all." He tossed the pad back towards Rita but just before she caught it, it too burst into flames before her eyes.

"Shall we go, Ginny?" Harry held out his hand and, after quickly retrieving her wand from the floor, she gratefully rushed to his side. He placed a protective arm around her shoulders before addressing the reporter again.

"I don't give a damn what you write about me, but if I find out you published one single word that smells even remotely like the rubbish I just read, I'll let Hermione know what a terrible pupil you've been, do you understand?"

Rita stood up straighter and lifted her chin defiantly, "Perhaps I've grown tired of Little Miss Perfect's blackmail! I think it's about time that I finally publish what my loyal readers want to know!"

"It's your choice, Miss Skeeter," Harry replied in a voice that sounded much calmer than he felt. He started to turn with Ginny down the green tunnel towards the exit but then he stopped to look back at the reporter. "Stay away from Ginny. If you come near her again, _I'll_ do more than give away your little secret."

After they passed the first bend in the green tunnel, Harry dropped his arm from Ginny's shoulders and quickened his pace so that with her shorter legs, she had to break into a jog to keep up with his much longer strides. He did not say another word to her and she glanced over at him, trying to judge his mood. Was the scowl on his face only due to his anger with the reporter?

"Can you slow down a bit?" Between her being unused to the rigors of a hard Quidditch practice and the emotional run-in with Rita Skeeter and the other reporters, Ginny was starting to feel quite exhausted.

"No."

His blunt and stern tone answered her question; he was most definitely upset with her.

They continued a little farther along the tunnel in silence until Ginny stopped to catch her breath, forcing Harry to relent.

He stood tensely by her side and, while she had already pocketed her wand, Harry was still holding his alertly, as he continually cast glances up and down the tunnel.

"What's the rush?" Ginny asked when her breath came easy to her again.

"I want to get you away from here as soon as possible," Harry answered. "Hand me your broom; I'll carry it until we get to the end of the tunnel. Let's keep going."

Ginny handed her broom over to him and they continued on, although this time, Harry slowed their pace somewhat.

"I still don't understand why you are in such a hurry," Ginny said to him.

"It's not safe here. It was dangerous enough for you to come to the stadium, let along run off by yourself like you did." His tone turned scolding as the kept moving, "Don't you realize that instead of Rita Skeeter cornering you alone down here, it could have just as easily been Golden Mask or his Death Eaters?"

She had not been thinking about that; she had been too preoccupied by the terrible way she played in practice and by the barrage of questions from the reporters. While inwardly she had to admit that running into a deserted tunnel was not the smartest decision on her part, she did not appreciate Harry reprimanding her as if she were a mere child.

"Well, I didn't meet up with any Death Eaters, did I?" Ginny replied stubbornly. "I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself, you know!"

"Oh, really?" Harry scoffed. "You've come to that conclusion because you did such a fine job getting away from those two reporters back there? Of course, they weren't going to try to kill you!"

He stopped suddenly and turned to face her. "What were you thinking? We agreed that it's too dangerous for you to start playing Quidditch again until the Death Eaters are caught!"

"No, _we_ didn't," Ginny shot back. "You and my parents agreed without bothering to ask me what I want!"

"You were there when we discussed it—"

"From where I sat, it was pretty much a one-sided discussion because you all refused to listen to a word I said! I'm tired of hiding and sitting around on my arse, doing nothing! Day in and day out it's been the same thing! 'Sorry, Ginny. You can't go wandering out into the terrible, dangerous world, so be a good girl and just sit around the house all day long and wait for someone in the family or Harry to swing by for a visit when they have the time.' It's humiliating, not to mention down-right boring! I'm not a fragile package that needs to be packed up and put in a closet somewhere so I don't get hurt! I can't go back to doing that! Especially not now…"

Ginny's words struck a chord within Harry because he completely understood what she was trying to tell him and his anger faded into guilt. He had felt the same way every summer that Dumbledore left him stuck at the Dursleys'. Especially after the ancient wizard ordered him to stay inside that prison of a house, insisting he not go wandering off where it might be too dangerous.

"Not now what?" Harry asked softly.

After the rant she had just leveled at him, Harry's gentler tone took Ginny slightly off guard but she answered, "Not after flying. When I took those first laps around the stadium, it felt…"

Harry's green eyes held hers and she was startled when he gave her a small, understanding smile before finishing her thought, "Like all of your troubles and worries had melted away and in that moment you were the freest being in the entire universe?"

"Something like that, yeah," she replied returning a timid smile of her own, relieved that he no longer seemed angry with her.

"Gin," Harry let out a deep sigh, closing his eyes and bowing his head in defeat, "I understand. Believe me, I do. More than you realize and I'm sorry I got angry." He looked her in the eyes again, "I was scared."

"Scared?" Her brow puckered in question. She was still getting to know him but based on what she had learned about him so far and from what others had told her, it was hard to think him afraid of anything. "Of what?"

"Of the possibility of losing you," he replied quietly. "I don't think I'd survive that again."

Then Ginny recalled her recent conversation with Gaea and her teammate's description of how distraught Harry had been when he thought she had died.

Understanding for Harry's concern filled her heart and she replied, "Well, I don't think you'll have to worry about me playing Quidditch for the Harpies any more. After today, I doubt Gwenog will want me to come back."

"I find that hard to believe," Harry said as they started walking towards the end of the tunnel again. "It wasn't long ago that you were on your way to becoming one of the best Chasers in the league."

"And I find that hard to believe," Ginny grumbled, "especially since I couldn't seem to hang on to the Quaffle at all today."

"It was probably just nerves. Given your memory loss, it's pretty much the same thing as meeting everyone on the team for the first time again so I'd be surprised if you weren't nervous."

"Then I must have always played horribly whenever I got nervous because, seriously, half the time I couldn't seem to get a solid grip on the Quaffle. It was so frustrating!"

Then Ginny scowled when she thought about her two less-than-sportsmanlike teammates. "It also didn't help that Glendora Speedwell and Geramina Bagnold did their best to show me up and pretty much acted like they wish I _had_ died."

"Not really surprising, that," Harry said, glancing back over his shoulder to make certain they still were not being followed. "Glendora has the most to lose since you'll be taking your spot back from her."

"I wish I could be as confident as you," Ginny said with a tired sigh. "During practice today it certainly didn't appear like she has much to worry about. And what about Geramina?" Ginny glanced over at him with a mischievous gleam in her eye. She wondered whether Harry would mention his encounter with her at the team Christmas party. "What do you suppose her problem is?"

It was hard to be certain in the dim light of the tunnel, but Ginny swore it looked as if color had crept into Harry's face.

"Who knows," he finally replied vaguely.

"I did hear a rumor that may provide a bit of an explanation," Ginny said slowly and Harry gave her a cautious glance.

"You did?"

"Uh, huh. Something about you, and Geramina, and mistletoe?" Since Ginny had already heard how Harry handled the situation from Gaea, she had to suppress a giggle when Harry let out a quiet groan.

"Oh, that. It was no big deal, really. I can only assume she had too much wine, and at some point, when you weren't around, she came over and started talking to me. The next thing I knew, I had mistletoe hanging over my head and Geramina hanging around my neck."

"Whatever did you do?" Ginny asked with exaggerated, wide-eyed innocence. "I mean, to have a beautiful, voluptuous blond hanging all over you like that! The horror!"

Harry threw Ginny a suspicious look and seeing the mirth in her eyes he smiled. "Something tells me you already know what I did."

"Like I said, I have heard a rumor, but I'd really like to hear it straight from you."

"Then if you must know, Little-miss-curious, I wanted to be sure there was no doubt left in her mind about how I felt. I told her, point blank, that Hell would freeze over before I'd be interested in her, that I have a preference for redheads, especially one petite redhead in particular—" he stopped when he noticed a frown cross Ginny's face. "What? Don't you believe me?"

"I do," Ginny answered. "I was just thinking that I wish I knew about her before practice because I blew my chance to knock her off her broom."

"You'll have another chance if you want it," Harry chuckled. "After all, there's always the next practice."

"I told you, I was absolutely terrible today," Ginny groaned dejectedly. "I should have gotten in some practice privately and into better shape before I tried playing again— wait. What do you mean 'next practice'?"

They had arrived at the end of the tunnel and instead of opening the door to the outside right away, Harry stopped.

"Do you really do want to play again?"

"Well, yeah, of course I do," Ginny replied with a frown. "But didn't you say—"

"Bad enough to agree to whatever precautions I feel are necessary to keep you safe?"

"I suppose…" Ginny answered, not at all certain she would like whatever his 'precautions' turned out to be. "That still won't address how horribly I played today."

"I think I may be able to help you out with that to some extent as well." He handed her broom back to her, "But first, we need to get you safely through this next gauntlet. Stand right there and don't come out until I tell you."

Before she could ask why, Harry opened the door and they were met with a deafening noise. Surrounding the entrance to the tunnel were several hundred people made up of reporters, Quidditch fans and the curious, all shouting at the top of their lungs and jostling each other for the best positions in the front of the crowd. The only thing keeping them all from rushing the door was a combination of ten Harpies' security personnel and a dozen Ministry Aurors.

Harry was relieved to see that Seamus, Alicia, Kevin and Ben were among them. Marlow, the guard Ginny had met when she first arrived at the stadium, was standing right by the entrance and he glanced nervously at Harry.

"Mr. Potter!"

"Mind explaining how two reporters got by you earlier?" Harry shouted at the man angrily. "_And_ how they found out which tunnels to follow?"

"I'm sorry, sir!" Marlow replied extremely contritely. "Harvey Waterwart told me they wanted to see me in the office. He was supposed to cover for me until I got back. When I got to the office I found out no one had asked for me to come up. I'm betting he must have told them and let them by."

"Is he here now?" Harry asked scanning the security wizards who were frantically trying to fight back the crowd.

"No, sir," Marlow answered. "He disappeared once all the reporters started showing up out here. I swear he's worked his first and last day for the Harpies, if I have anything to say about it!"

"First day?" Harry said sharply. "You mean he's part of the additional security the Harpies hired to prevent exactly what just happened?"

"I'm afraid so, sir," Marlow replied.

"Why am I not surprised?" Harry grumble to himself, rolling his eyes in disgust. Then he turned back at Ginny, "Wait there until I give you the all clear."

She nodded to him, and, no matter what she had told him earlier, she was very thankful that he had come to her rescue from Rita Skeeter and that she did not have to deal with this horde of people on her own.

When Harry stepped all the way through the door, the reporters threw a barrage of questions at him, but no matter how loudly they shouted or what they said, he completely ignored them.

"Thanks for getting here so quickly," he called to his team. "After I got here and Ginny's teammate told me what had happened during their practice, I was afraid it might turn out like this. Luckily it's not Death Eaters!"

"This is still crazy!" Seamus shouted back as he tried to restrain two reporters who had just cast the correct counter spell allowing them to bypass the security charms the Aurors were using.

"You weren't kidding when you said you figured every magical reporter and curiosity seeker in Europe might show up once word got out that Ginny was here!" Kevin said as he and Seamus both gave up struggling with the two reporters and hit them with stunners at the same time.

"Ginny's just in side door," Harry told them. "We need to back these people off far enough so I can Apparate out of here with her."

Harry went back to get Ginny while the Aurors started pushing the crowd farther away from the door.

"Come on," Harry said placing his arm around her again to lead her out of the tunnel. "Stay close to me."

He did not have to tell her twice because the moment they stepped out of the tunnel, the crowd surged towards them, almost breaking through the line of Aurors. Harry guided her along quickly, using his elbow and shoulder to plow past anyone who tried to block them. Once Ginny felt someone grab her arm and start to pull her into the crowd but Alicia hit the offender's hand with a stinging hex, freeing her at once.

When they were far enough away from the stadium building to a point that they could Apparate, Harry dropped his arm from around her shoulders and took her hand into his.

"We're going back to The Burrow now?" Ginny asked.

"Not yet. I want to show you something else first."

xxxxxxxxxx

Ron trudged wearily along the deserted halls of the Ministry, eager to collect the materials from his desk in the Auror office, which he needed in order to study for a big exam the next morning. It had been a long, exhausting day starting with a very early morning class on advanced potions identification taught by a humorless, arrogant Auror named Cornwall. At times the man had Ron convinced he had the ability to channel Severus Snape from beyond the grave, for Cornwall seemingly derived great satisfaction from singling him out to answer questions only those times that he had no idea what the correct response was.

Unfortunately, things only went downhill from there. Ron barely had time to grab a stale mid-morning breakfast from the Ministry cafeteria before heading off to Magical Surveillance class which took up the remainder of the day. During the first part of class, he and the other trainees worked feverishly to cram complicated techniques and tracking spells into their heads before spending the rest of the class time practicing what they were supposed to have learned; casting stealth charms on themselves and on fellow trainees to conceal their presence and tracking each other from one fireplace to another through the Floo network. If all that wasn't exhausting enough, they also spent more hours than Ron wanted to think about traipsing through cold forests and muddy swamps tracking down mannequins representing 'suspects' identified by badly painted-on frowns and sneers and innocent 'victims' sporting paint smiles.

Needless to say, he was now very tired, damp and muddy from head to toe, and completely chilled to through and through.

Since the class had taken up the entire day, Ron had not had the chance to check in with Harry, but he had seen Kevin and Alicia in the cafeteria long enough for them to inform him that his mother had come by earlier. They explained that Molly Weasley was in quite a state because Ginny had apparently decided to begin practicing with the Harpies again that morning. The last they saw of Harry, he was hurrying out the door, headed for the Harpies' stadium.

Ron shook his head in sympathy for Harry. His parents and Harry had discussed the dangers that playing Quidditch still posed with Ginny, but he knew his sister; she despised being coddled and she was stubborn to a fault. If she made up her mind to do something, nothing would stand in her way, not even Harry. He did not envy the confrontation his best friend was in for and he silently prayed that Ginny did not cause Harry any permanent damage when she hexed him.

Only a few Aurors that Ron knew by face but not by name were still in the office when he entered and, after gathering his books and study materials, he waved goodnight to them trying not to think about the hours of studying he had yet to do. He was sorely tempted to blow it off but he quickly tossed out that idea. For one, if he wanted to keep his trainee assignment on Harry's team, he had to pass all of his classes. Secondly, he knew there was no way Hermione would allow him to neglect his studies while there was a single breath left in her body.

Heaving a heavy sigh, Ron walked down the hall towards the bank of Ministry fireplaces. He was too weary to Apparate tonight and it would just be his luck that he'd splinch himself in the process if he tried. Just as he was nearing the juncture to the main hall, the sound of low, angry voices caught his attention, halting him in mid-step.

"We don't give a damn what problems you have!" stated one sneering voice.

"We want the money we've been promised!"

"Keep your voices down!" Came an aggravated retort. "I've already told both of you. Something's happened which has greatly reduced the funds available for the moment."

Ron did not recognize their voices but his curiosity was peeked for, whoever they were, it sounded like they were up to no good. Slowly and carefully, he edged along the wall and took a quick cautious glance around the corner before pulling back. Although he had never personally met the three arguing Wizards, Harry had once pointed them out and told him about them so Ron knew exactly who they were.

"Besides, you have been well paid for your past services and it's not like you've been asked to do anything recently!" Internal Investigations Auror Jeremy Arnold continued haughtily.

"Now that's not the point is it, Arnold?" Stated one of the extremely tall Security Aurors; Harry never did explain to him exactly which of the two was Quailmire and which was Jefferson, but the pair themselves was unmistakable. "Given our past _'assignments'_ it isn't all that difficult to piece together what's going on."

"And what exactly do you think is going on?" Arnold snapped back.

"Something more than merely your petty grudge against Potter."

"Which neither of you has done much to assist with, have you?" Arnold replied, crossing his arms disdainfully.

"We pushed his temper enough that he got himself suspended," one of the tall men retorted.

Arnold sneered in disgust, "A few days was all he ended up with due to your efforts; not that I should expect Shacklebolt's golden boy to get what he deserves."

"I'd say he got a lot more than you're letting on. And so did you from what we've been hearing."

"What are you talking about?"

"If we hadn't gotten Potter suspended, the Death Eaters never would have gotten their hands on him when they did, would they? They beat the shit out of him pretty good, and from what I heard, they nearly killed him."

"What if they did? What does that have to do with me?"

"Come on, Arnold, don't keep playing innocent with us. The information you had us 'persuade' out of two of the Aurors that worked on the wards at Bill Weasley's cottage helped those Death Eaters attack Potter's party that night, didn't it? Why else would you have asked us to get you the details of what they were working on and then Obliviate their memories of what we'd done?"

Ron's heart was pounding furiously in his chest and he barely dared to breathe; he had discovered at least three leaks in the Security Department, which was the lead that Harry and his team had been searching for for months.

"You're working with _him_-" the Security Auror now lowered his voice so that Ron strained to hear him clearly, "-the man in the gold mask. Wasn't the satisfaction of watching Potter bleed worth a little more to you?"

Jeremy Arnold did not answer right away, seeming to weigh his response options.

"If that's what you believe," Arnold finally replied with an air of smugness, "then perhaps it's wise for you to be content with what you've already been paid for your _assistance_. From what _I've_ heard, those who get greedy or get on his bad side tend to have a short lifespan. But if you think you can attempt to blackmail him with your suspicions…"

Arnold's words had the desired effect on Quailmire and Jefferson, who glanced nervously at each other.

"I think we can consider this matter closed, then. Now if you will excuse me," Arnold said, moving past the two men, "I'm running late for an appointment. Good evening, gentlemen."

Arnold stepped into the nearest fireplace and disappeared into green flames leaving Quailmire and Jefferson none the richer. The Security Aurors turned to head back down the hall, passing close to where Ron was hiding in the shadows with his back pressed tightly against the wall. He let out a quiet breath of relief as the two men passed by grumbling to each other without noticing his presence.

Ron contemplated what he should do next. There was no question he had to tell Harry everything he had just learned, for it was certainly enough to arrest the three men for questioning. He also smirked to himself when he thought about what Svenson Jodfree's reaction would be when he learned that his partner was at least one of the leaks in the Security Department.

But just how deeply involved was Jeremy Arnold? Was he only supplying Golden Mask with information, or was he involved to a further extent? Harry had not identified him as one of the Death Eaters that he saw at Malfoy Manor, but then again, Harry had also said that some of the Death Eaters, as well as Golden Mask himself, had elected to keep their masks in place. Had Arnold been one of them? And what was the appointment that he was late for?

He could follow Arnold and find out. He had just learned the spell that Aurors use to follow a suspect through the Floo network without knowing the destination. But he would have to act quickly, because if more than five minutes went by, the tracking spell would no longer work properly.

Ron quickly pulled out a small bottle of ink, a quill and a piece of parchment he had used in class, turned it over and hastily scribbled out a note. With shaking hands, he waved his wand over the note, which folded itself into a paper airplane and then immediately soared off.

Slowly he moved toward the fireplace that Jeremy Arnold had used, glancing back down the hallway to make certain Quailmire and Jefferson were no longer in sight. Ron knew that proper procedure dictated that he not go alone, but if he took the time to contact Harry or someone else from the team, Arnold's trail within the Floo network would be gone. He could not take that chance, especially if there was a possibility he could learn something to help stop Golden Mask and his Death Eaters.

He had to find out where Arnold was going which meant he would have to go by himself. It's what Harry would do not, as Hermione had pointed out on more than one occasion, that Harry tended to make the wisest rash decisions.

With his mind made up and before he let the voice in the back of his mind that sounded very much like Hermione talk him out of it, Ron grabbed a handful of Floo powder and stepped into the fireplace. He quickly muttered the spell that would send him down the same path as the person who last used the fireplace, threw down the powder and closed his eyes as he was engulfed by yellowish-green flames.


	28. Through Darkness

**A/N- **A big thank you to everyone who continues to follow this story and especially to those who have left reviews. I do read them. I figured you've all been in suspense from the last chapter long enough. Although I'm wonder if this chapter might do the same thing? ;) Hope you enjoy.

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**Chapter 28 – Through Darkness**

Ginny opened her eyes once she felt her feet hit solid ground and her breath caught in her throat.

She was standing beside Harry on a narrow, pebbled lane that led up to a two-story stone cottage surrounded by a low, green hedge dotted with pink and white flowering shrubs. A cobblestone path meandered through a wooden gate in the hedge and through a colorful garden to the front door. There were three gables on the second story of the cottage; the largest in the middle contained a double window and the smaller gables on either side of this each had a single window. Four chimneys rose up from the slanted slate roof.

"You like it?" Harry asked, intently observing her reaction to the place they both once thought of as their private haven.

"Oh, Harry, it's _beautiful_!" she replied breathlessly, wondering who occupied the house that he wanted her to meet. "Who lives here?"

"Only me at the moment." He sighed with relief before adding, "But it's our cottage."

"It's _ours_?" Ginny asked as her eyes continued to scan every detail of the building and its surroundings. Hermione had mentioned that she and Harry owned a house, but Ginny never imagined it would be so wonderfully perfect.

"It is," Harry affirmed with a brightening smile. "The moment you saw it, you fell in love with it. So you still do like it then?"

"I more than like it, Harry, I love it! Can I take a look inside?"

The sparkling excitement in her eyes made Harry's heart take flight. He had been looking forward to bringing her to their home, but he had held back; he did not want to give her the wrong impression regarding his possible intentions or make her feel that he was trying to push her and their relationship too fast. It had not been easy to fight his impatience, but he kept reminding himself of his goal. He wanted to win Ginny back, and therefore he had to wait until she was more comfortable with him.

While it did seem he was making some progress and that she was more relaxed around him now, there were still times that he sensed her sudden unease with his presence for no reason he could put his finger on. True, it was happening with less and less frequency and when it did, he could tell that she tried very hard to hide it from him. Knowing her as well as he did, she could not fool him and it left no doubt in Harry's mind that some form of barrier remained in the way of her ability to completely trust him; he just wished he could figure out what it was.

He had tried to prepare himself for the possibility that Ginny would demand that he take her straight back to The Burrow once she learned that this was the home they had been meant to share and he was extremely relieved that he need not have worried on that account.

"Of course you can," Harry replied with an even broader smile. "It belongs to you, too, after all."

Grinning widely, Ginny hurried up the path. She stepped through the front door into a rather spacious but cozily inviting living room and her eyes darted around the interior as if trying to take in every bit of the tasteful décor all at once. Directly across from the vestibule from where she was standing was a large, stone fireplace with two comfortable looking sofas facing each other placed in front of it. To her left was a staircase that led to the second floor and a doorway into a room in which she could see a bookcase and a heavy wooden desk, leading her to believe it likely served as Harry's study. On her right was the dining room that held a buffet and a matching table with eight chairs and the doorway that led into the kitchen.

Ginny walked farther into the room, running her hand along the soft fabric of one of the sofas as she passed until she stopped in awe in front of a pair of wide French doors. They opened out to a stone patio surrounded by another garden, but it was the colorful picturesque scene of the setting sun sinking below the hills surrounding the loch that took her breath away.

"Have you ever seen anything so beautiful?" Ginny whispered as she opened the door and walked out onto the patio.

"Never," Harry replied, taking Ginny by surprise for she had not heard him come up behind her.

Even though he refrained from touching her, he was standing so close that she swore she could feel the heat radiating from his body through the practice robes she still wore; or was it merely her own body's reaction to his proximity?

Her eyes flew to his, momentarily held captive by the burning intensity glowing within their green depths until it dawned on her that he had not been referring to the sunset—and that she was now completely alone with him for the very first time, with no one from her family nearby. It was something she had not considered in her excitement with seeing the cottage.

The butterflies ever resident in her stomach took flight, disturbed by the molten heat suddenly flowing through her veins. While she wanted to savor her body's reaction to his nearness, she was unable to squelch her apprehension that had intensified with the realization that they were totally alone. In the guise of admiring one of the flowerbeds to give her warring emotions time to settle down, she forced her weakened legs to carry her to the opposite side of the patio.

Harry frowned, as he watched her scurry away. It had been weeks since she had reacted that skittishly with him and it now made him rethink the wisdom of his decision to bring her to their cottage after all.

"You, um," Ginny's voice came out as a bit of a croak and she had to clear her throat to continue, "have quite a green thumb by the looks of the gardens."

Calling upon his Auror interrogation training, he managed to conceal his disappointment and keep the tone of his voice neutral. "I can't take any credit there. The gardens were here when we bought the place and Kreacher seems to enjoy maintaining them."

"Is Kreacher here?" She had forgotten about Harry's house elf, which meant that she was not really alone with him after all. Of course, Harry was Kreacher's master, and therefore under his command, which meant the elf could offer her little protection from him if, by chance, she needed it.

"He should be," Harry replied. "Kreacher?"

The ancient elf immediately appeared with a pop and bowed low before Harry.

"Kreacher is sorry he did not realize Master had arrived home; Kreacher was down at the Qui—"

"That's quite alright, Kreacher," Harry cut him off quickly. "I've brought a surprise for you." Having appeared directly in front of Harry with his back to Ginny, the elf slowly turned.

"Mistress Ginny!" he exclaimed and bowed again, this time so low that Ginny feared he might lose his balance and fall over. "Kreacher is most happy to see his mistress again!"

"Hello, Kreacher," Ginny replied pleasantly. "It's nice to see you, too, although I don't know if Harry told you but I've lost my memory so, unfortunately, I don't remember meeting you in the past."

"Master Harry has told Kreacher of Mistress's circumstances," the elf replied. "Kreacher will work very hard to show Mistress that he is happy to serve."

"Thank you, but please don't go out of your way or to any extra bother on my account, Kreacher," Ginny insisted.

"Nothing Mistress asks is a bother for Kreacher," the elf replied and then he looked up at Harry. "Will you both be dining at home tonight, sir?"

"That all depends," Harry glanced at Ginny questioningly. "Would you like to have dinner here? Kreacher is an excellent cook." Ginny saw the elf puff out his chest with pride at his master's compliment. "I need to contact your mum anyway to let her know you're safe. I can also let her know not to wait dinner for you."

Both Harry and Kreacher were watching her with such hopeful expressions that there was no way Ginny could refuse; not that she really wanted to, anyway.

"I'd be delighted to stay for dinner."

"Great!" Harry replied, looking very pleased by her decision.

"Kreacher will begin preparations now," the elf stated happily and then with a bow he shuffled off to the kitchen.

"He certainly is eager to please," Ginny commented once Kreacher was out of sight. "But he shouldn't be working too hard should he? He looks quite old."

"He's never told me exactly how old he is," Harry replied. "All I know is that he served the Black family at least as far back as Sirius's grandfather. One thing I have learned about him is that Kreacher isn't really happy unless he's doing something for me; or for you. Ron and I shared a flat for a while and that was when I came to really appreciate him. Do you have any idea what a slob your brother is?"

"No, is he that bad?"

"Terrible!" Harry replied. "Sometimes I wonder how Hermione put's up with him. While I was living with Ron, Kreacher came in handy keeping the place livable."

Harry glance out over the loch, "There is one more thing I'd like you to see before it gets too dark."

"What is it?" Ginny could not imagine what more there could be in addition to the fabulous cottage.

"Uh-uh, I don't want to spoil the surprise," Harry said with a mysterious grin and he started walking toward the loch. "Come on, you need to see it for yourself".

As she followed him, a dock with a rowboat secured with a rope came into view and she assumed that was what he wanted to show her, but instead of continuing towards the water, Harry turned right, in the direction of the woods. He led her to a narrow pathway that wound through the trees, making it impossible for her to see what was up ahead.

After the first bend in the path Ginny glanced over at Harry and a cold, unpleasant feeling of déjà vu washed through her. Why was he taking her deep into the secluded woods and what could he want to show her that was so far away from the cottage?

"Is something wrong?" Harry asked, groaning inwardly; she was becoming uneasy again, but why?

"I think I've been here before..." She replied hesitantly, dropping her eyes to the ground. Her feeling of dread was intensifying, making it impossible for her to continue looking at him. Fighting down her trepidation, Ginny took a fortifying breath, "I suppose that makes sense if this is our house and property."

As they continued to walk along the wooded path, Ginny felt like the surroundings were becoming more and more familiar, as was the fear stirring within her. If it was a memory trying to break through, why was being in Harry's company invoking such a feeling of alarm?

"I don't know how that could be." Harry frowned, playing along with her attempt to brush off her reaction. "This path was made after we bought the cottage and you didn't know it was even here because I placed it under a concealing charm so you wouldn't find it."

"Why did you want to conceal it?" Another chill ran down her spine and this time Ginny visibly shuddered.

"I didn't want to take a chance of anything ruining the surprise," Harry replied, seeing her shiver, which he guessed was not completely due to the setting sun and dropping temperature. If their destination at the end of the path did not play an integral part in his plan to keep her safe, he would take her back to the cottage and wait until another time. But he wanted to discuss his idea with her as soon as possible. "It's not much farther and then we can go back."

Ginny's world suddenly tilted and she closed her eyes, bringing both hands to her temples.

_It's not much farther; once it's done, we can go back. _Harry's words were so similar to others that she had heard before. Words _he_ had whispered in her ear one night, commanding that she obey him or face terrible consequences.

Ginny stumbled and Harry quickly took her by the arm to steady her.

"Are you all right?" When she didn't answer right away, Harry's voice became more urgent. "Ginny? Why won't you tell me what's bothering you?"

Harry's concerned tone gave Ginny the courage to open her eyes, although for a brief instant she feared who it was she was going to see standing before her.

"It's nothing," Ginny finally answered shakily, pulling away from him and crossing her arms tightly across her chest.

She really needed to get a firmer grip on this fear of hers. Not once in the past weeks, not even when he was angry with her earlier in the day at the Harpies' stadium, had Harry done a single thing to indicate he might physically harm her. In fact, he always seemed to be overly concerned for her welfare.

"I just felt a little dizzy for a moment, but I'm alright now."

"Maybe we should go back," Harry said growing more concerned as Ginny stood rigidly in front him. For the life of him, he had no idea what had caused her sudden anxiety. "What I want to show you can wait for another time."

"No, I'm fine, really," Ginny insisted, although she was fighting every instinct telling her to run back to the cottage. If Harry hadn't stepped away from her and placed some space between them, she might have. "You said whatever it is isn't that much farther, right? Let's keep going."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure." When he did not seem convinced, she forced a smile that she hoped did not come off as a grimace, "Besides, I'm curious to see what kind of a surprise required so much secrecy that you felt you had to conceal it."

"Alright." Even the slightest smile from her was enough to make his heart skip a beat. "This way then."

When they rounded the next bend, Ginny was very relieved to see that the path ahead opened into a large clearing, but it wasn't until she stepped completely past the trees that she understood exactly what Harry's surprise entailed.

"Harry… is that a regulation sized Quidditch pitch?" Her fear drained away as she stared agape.

"It is," Harry answered proudly with a broad smile. "And it's all yours."

"Mine?"

"Well, I'm kind of hoping to use it a bit myself sometimes, especially if you'd like help practicing or whenever your brothers visit."

"Why were you concealing it from me?" Ginny asked as her eyes traveled the expanse of the pitch from one set of goal hoops to the other. "And how could I have not known this is here?"

"It wasn't easy keeping it from you, believe me. It took me forever to finally decide what to give you, and I really wanted it to be a surprise. Actually, this is the first time I've seen it since it was completed and it looks like Kreacher has been keeping it in pristine condition."

"I don't understand," Ginny said. "Why haven't you seen it completed?"

"I had it built for you as a wedding present," Harry's mood became more somber as he looked off in the distance. "I wanted to give you something special; something that I knew you would really like. You had been saying that you wished you could find a place to put in extra training closer to home and we had all this land around the cottage we weren't using for anything else. The work on it was completed on the day we were supposed to be married and after the attack I could never bring myself to come down here again. I thought about having it all demolished, but I couldn't do that either, so I've pretty much been ignoring it."

"I'm glad that you didn't demolish it. It's an amazingly wonderful gift, Harry." She was not only overwhelmed by his generosity, thoughtfulness and sincerity, but also by her conflicting emotions. Something had triggered her feeling of fear as she walked along the path with him through the woods. Then less than a minute later he presents her with her very own Quidditch pitch that he had gone out of his way to ensure would be a wonderful surprise for her. That was certainly not what one would expect from someone like the horrible monster that haunted her nightmares.

"Now maybe you can get some use out of it, if you want," Harry was saying. "You said you'd like to train up some more, so here's a place that you can practice in in complete privacy. You can even start tomorrow if you like."

"It's a great idea, and it will certainly help," Ginny replied, now feeling more at ease. "But if I want to play for the Harpies, I can't hide here. I'm still going to have to practice with the team."

"I've been thinking about that, too," Harry said, looking into her eyes.

"Ah, you're 'precautions'."

"You don't have to sound so unenthusiastic," he feigned a hurt look. "At least wait to hear my idea first."

Ginny let out a sigh as they started back toward the cottage in the quickly diminishing daylight. "Okay, what is it?"

"I want to assign an Auror to be with you at all times you're playing; whether you're practicing or playing in a game until Golden Mask and his men are caught."

Ginny stopped, placed her hands on her hips and glared at him indignantly. "You want to assign me a _babysitter_?"

"Not a babysitter," Harry corrected, "a bodyguard. I don't care how much security Gwenog hires. What happened earlier with Rita Skeeter proved that the Harpies' security is not nearly enough to protect you. I want someone I know personally guarding you; someone I can trust completely with your safety."

"And who might that be?" Ginny asked and then she added half mockingly, "Yourself?"

"Would it bother you if it was me?"

"I doubt my teammates will be comfortable with you following me into the team locker room," she answered, avoiding his question. "With the exception of Geramina, of course."

Harry decided to ignore that last comment. "To be honest I was thinking of someone else from my team, Alicia Spinnet. We've both known her since Hogwarts. She also played on the Gryffindor Quidditch team with me, so even though you can't remember her, you'll have Quidditch in common. Most importantly, she's a damn good Auror and she's someone I know I can trust with your life."

"I'll still feel like you're having me babysat," Ginny grumbled. "Do I have a choice?"

"As far as I'm concerned, no. We haven't heard the last of Golden Mask, and I'm sure that he hasn't given up on targeting you."

They had arrived back at cottage and, as they walked inside, Ginny asked, "Do you think Gwenog will agree? Although, it may not matter anyway because she may not want me to come back. Not after I played so horribly today."

"Given a bit of practice, you'll be flying circles around both Glendora Speedwell and Geramina Bagnold again in no time. Gwenog knows what you are capable of, even if you don't at the moment; trust me, she likes to win, which means she'll want you back. And knowing that she will want you back, I won't give her a choice. If you're going to play, you're going to have a bodyguard. Deal?"

"Oh, alright, deal," Ginny sighed, starting to feel too tired to argue with him about it further, at least for the moment. She would certainly take up the offer to practice on their private Quidditch pitch because she was going to need to put in extra effort if she wanted to improve and increase her stamina as quickly as possible.

"Since that's settled, would you like to see the rest of the cottage and then take a shower before dinner?"

"I'd love to." Now that they were back in the bright lights inside the cottage, Ginny felt somewhat foolish for nearly panicking for no reason during their walk.

Harry led her up the stairs, and when they reached the second floor he showed her each room as they went.

"These first two are guest bedrooms but, as you can see, we never got around to doing much with this one."

He opened the door to a white-walled room with its windows and wooden floor void of treatments and rug respectively. Numerous boxes stacked to one side along with several trunks indicated that it was currently being used as a storage room.

"Most of the stuff in here is yours," Harry explained. "After the attack, I had Kreacher move your clothes and things here. I never felt up to going through them."

He moved on quickly, to the next room. "This is where Teddy sleeps whenever he stays over, which has only been a few times so far, but we wanted him to feel at home and have his own room when he's here."

The room definitely looked like it belonged to a young boy; the cheery yellow walls were decorated with several posters of the Bulgarian Quidditch team, blue and yellow striped curtains hung on the single window and a Quidditch-themed bedspread covered the double bed. There was a wooden dresser and mirror along one wall and a bookshelf holding age-appropriate children's books as well as a collection of golden Snitches along another.

"Who is that?" Ginny asked, pointing to a framed photograph of a Quidditch player in full uniform prominently placed on the top of the dresser.

"Viktor Krum, Seeker for the Bulgarian National Quidditch team," Harry replied. "Teddy has another one in his room at Andromeda's. The Harpies play Bulgaria at least once every season, and after one of your games, you asked Viktor to sign them so you could give them to Teddy last year for Christmas. We're both actually pretty good friends with Viktor."

Harry turned to lead her down the short hallway and when he continued, there was amusement in the tone of his voice. "I should warn you, though; it's best not to let Ron see that room or tell him about Teddy's infatuation with Krum and Bulgaria. Your brother is a rabid Chudley Cannons fan, and to support any other team is the highest form of treason as far as he's concerned."

"Okay, I won't," Ginny replied grinning back. "But I don't think I like the idea that my own brother doesn't support the Holyhead Harpies at least a little bit."

"Oh, he supports them," Harry said stopping in the doorway of the last room, "just so long as they aren't playing the Cannons. And this is our… er, I mean the master bedroom."

Judging by the sudden color in Ginny's cheeks, it was clear that he had caught himself too late.

"I love the way this room as well as the others downstairs are decorated," Ginny commented approvingly hoping to lead the conversation to a less awkward topic.

The light blue walls and décor of the bedroom were comfortable and inviting in that it was neither too frilly nor too masculine. A cherry wood, four-poster bed with a cream and gold paisley patterned comforter and matching throw pillows was set against one wall and a loveseat with pillows of complementing colors was placed along another. Nightstands stood on each side of the bed and the bedroom set was completed by an armoire and a dresser with a tri-fold mirror. There was a good-sized stone fireplace directly across from the foot of the bed and a wool rug covered the wide-planked wooden floor.

"I should hope so," Harry chuckled, relieved that his reference to it being their bedroom hadn't scared her off. "You were in complete charge of all decorating, especially since I'm complete rubbish in that area. The bathroom is through there," he pointed to a door across the room, "and you'll find towels in the closet right inside the door. Since a lot of your clothes are in the other room, I can go pull out a few things for you to change into while you're in the shower if you'd like me to."

"Yes, please," Ginny answered with a smile. "I'd rather not wear Quidditch robes to dinner."

"I kind of like seeing you in the uniform," Harry replied with all sincerity. "In case you hadn't guessed, I like Quidditch players; female Quidditch players, that is."

"Oh?" Ginny quirked an eyebrow at him. "That's players with an 's', is it?"

"Truthfully, there's only one now," He flashed a cheeky grin, "Maybe I'll tell you who she is one of these days."

Before she could reply, Harry turned toward the door, "I'm not sure when dinner will be ready, but there's no need for you to rush. I'll ask Kreacher to hold everything until you come back downstairs."

Ginny closed the door of the bathroom and turned on the shower to let the water warm up. She found a large fluffy towel in the closet and then she undressed, folding her robes neatly and placing them on a bench under the bathroom window. By now, the water flowing from the shower was steaming hot and she adjusted the temperature slightly so that it was just bearable. She stepped under the water and let out a hiss of pleasure as the hot, strong stream hit her back, immediately easing away her tension and aches from Quidditch practice.

As she luxuriated in the flowing heat and steam surrounding her, Ginny's mind wandered to Gwenog and her teammates that she had met earlier in the day. It was not hard to tell that Gwenog was quite disappointed in her performance on the pitch. She could only hope that Harry was right and the woman still believed that she was capable of playing as well as she supposedly had before the attack. Most of her teammates had been encouraging and she liked them very much, especially Gaea Grayson. Gaea had done everything she could to make Ginny feel welcomed and for that, Ginny felt a great amount of gratitude towards the other woman.

Gail Smethwyk, their team captain, had also been supportive, especially by pointing out to Gwenog that it was reasonable for Ginny to need time to train up before she'd be able to play like she had earlier in the year. Susan, Xenosa and Odina had been just as encouraging.

Then, of course, there were Glendora Speedwell and Geramina Bagnold. Even though Ginny considered their behavior unprofessional, there was a part of her that understood Glendora's attitude towards her; especially if she truly was a threat to the woman's continued position on the team.

Geramina, however, was a different matter and she had yet to understand the reason behind the other Chaser's animosity towards her. Was it merely jealousy of her relationship and engagement to Harry? Ginny had a hard time believing that could be the complete reason since Geramina was quite beautiful; it was hard to fathom a woman with Geramina's looks having trouble attracting a plethora of male admirers, although, Harry had turned her advances down flat.

Ginny smiled at the thought as her mind easily wandered back to him; perhaps she actually could understand Geramina's infatuation and underlying jealousy. Even with her persistent misgivings, the thought of Harry being with another woman was enough to unleash Ginny's own feelings of jealousy.

_You might as well admit it,_ she thought to herself, _you've become infatuated with him yourself_.

What other explanation could there be for the sudden rapid beating of her heart, the butterflies in her stomach and the weakening of her knees whenever she was around him? Especially whenever her eyes met his? She wished with all her heart that she could just accept their relationship and let it progress naturally to what it had been before the attack. Unfortunately, she could not allow herself that luxury until she was rid of the nightmares, and most especially her lingering doubts. Or better yet, have her memory return so the mystery of Harry's true character would be solved in her mind once and for all.

Ginny finished rinsing the soap out of her hair and with a heavy sigh, she turned off the water and reached for the towel. While the hot shower had eased away most of her aches and pains, it had also relaxed her to the point that she now felt bone tired. Not only was it due to the earlier Quidditch practice, but her lack of sleep was continuing to take its toll; even Gwenog had noticed how tired she looked.

After drying off her body with the towel, she wrapped it around herself and wiped the steam off the mirror. Ignoring the dark circles under her eyes, she found a comb in one of the vanity drawers and, assuming Harry wouldn't mind if she used it, she began working the tangles out of her thick, damp hair. After winning the battle against a particularly stubborn knot and contemplating how she would look if she cut her hair into a short bob, she placed the comb back into the drawer and went to open the bathroom door.

Harry had lit several lamps while she was in the shower and she saw that he laid out clothes on the bed for her as well as closed the bedroom door to ensure her privacy. Along with a pair of jeans and a warm light-green sweater, he had also left her clean underwear. She felt herself blush slightly even though she was grateful for his thoughtfulness.

Not bothering to stifle a yawn, she dressed quickly and then glanced longingly at the bed, wishing she could take a nap, even if only a short one. Her shower had not really taken very long and Harry did say that she could take her time; maybe a nap was a good idea. Kreacher had been so happy and eager to make dinner for them, and the last thing she wanted to do was insult either the elf or Harry by falling asleep face first onto her dinner plate.

A light quilt was folded across the bottom of the bed, which she pulled over herself as she lay down. Rolling over onto her side with her back to the window, she hugged one of the pillows against her body and sighed contentedly as a pleasant, masculine scent enveloped her senses. A warm feeling ran through her entire body with the knowledge that she was lying in Harry's bed… which was actually _their_ bed.

Not at all chagrined by the path her thoughts started to follow, Ginny closed her eyes and was soon asleep with a soft smile on her lips.

xxxxxxxxxx

Freedom.

Sheer, glorious freedom was the only way to describe flying. Ever since she was a little girl sneaking out to the broom shed for one of her surreptitious rides, it was the one thing that could provide complete escape from whatever was bothering her. It was no different this evening and she laughed exuberantly as she flew in a straight line towards the canopy of the trees, gathering speed as she went. At the last possible second she veered sharply to the right, avoiding potential catastrophe, and then raced on toward their agreed upon finish line.

The risk was worth it because this time the thrill of victory was finally hers.

"I won!" she exclaimed triumphantly to her opponent, who had finished no more than a millisecond behind her.

"Merlin, Gin, don't ever do that again!"

"Do what?" She asked innocently as they took a much slower lap around the perimeter of the orchard.

"Scare me like that!"

Worry filled his eyes and her smile faltered momentarily, but she shook it off.

"Don't know what you're talking about," she replied with her grin firmly back in place.

"Do you know how close you came to hitting those trees?"

"I won, didn't I, so what does it matter? It's not like you haven't pulled stunts of your own; several times, in fact."

They came to a stop, hovering side-by side in mid-air.

"That was different!" He argued. "I was playing in actual games and for the House Cup!"

"You know I need all the practice I can get if I'm going to try out for a spot with the Harpies next month." She crossed her arms defiantly, "You said you'd help me prepare."

"I know I did, but—"

"And you said that you supported my decision to try out for a spot with a professional Quidditch team."

"I do support your decision but—"

"Since you've played yourself, you of all people should understand that I'll have to take chances and fly my best and hardest in order to compete professionally."

"Of course I understand that, but—"

"And if I do somehow and by some miracle make the team, you'll have to get used to watching me take risks on the pitch because to do otherwise would mean that I hadn't tried my hardest."

"I know I will, and I'm prepared for that; or at least I think I am."

She smiled, knowing she had won the argument, and she reached over to caress his face tenderly. "I understand. It's not much different from how I feel every time I see you walk out the door in your Auror robes, leaving me to pray you'll come back to me in one healthy piece. But being an Auror is what you want to do; it makes you happy."

He nodded his head in reluctant agreement and took her hand into his, "Okay, but this was supposed to be a _friendly _race; you didn't have to risk killing yourself to win."

His boyish pout was too adorable to resist and, resting her other hand on his thigh, she leaned her face closer and to his.

"You know what I think?"

"Hmm?"

When her lips were only a few inches from his, she whispered softly, "I think the real reason you're upset is because I beat you."

He pulled back and glared at her. "It is not!"

"Oh really?" Her expression and raised eyebrows clearly disputed his claim.

"Yes, really. I'm concerned for your wellbeing. And besides, you didn't win."

"I did, too!"

"No, you cheated."

"What! How did I—"

"You pulled that stupid, dangerous stunt to distract me by scaring the hell out of me!"

"That's not cheating!" She sat back on her broom with her hands on her hips. "It's called strategy!"

He went on as if he had not heard her, "And you know what happens to cheaters, don't you?"

"I didn't cheat!"

He still pretended not to hear her. "They pay dearly."

His eyes locked with hers and their smoldering intensity instantly conveyed exactly how he planned to make her pay. Even as the tingling heat of anticipation and desire spread rapidly through her body, her stubborn streak refused to let it be that easy for him. She spun around on her broom with a mock squeal of fright and tore away from him at breakneck speed.

Whether he caught her or whether she allowed him to catch her, neither one particularly cared when he reached over and plucked her from her broom and onto his lap. Somehow he managed a soft landing, and when they both had their feet safely on the ground, she turned in his arms.

The light and warmth of the day immediately faded away and she sensed that something was wrong.

She glanced up questioningly at him to find that his normally sparkling eyes had lost all signs of life and his face had become an eerie mask void of expression. His features seemed to blur before her and she blinked to clear her vision. Then he disappeared completely, leaving her standing utterly alone in a cold fog of greenish gloom that made her feel as if it was trying to seep into her very core.

"H-Harry?"

There was no answer to the sound of her voice, which had been nothing more than a plaintive whisper in the barren green mist. She held out her shaking hands, and as she took a tentative step forward, the mist began to swirl around her, as if taunting her with its ethereal fingers. It churned faster and faster until it thinned enough for her see that she was standing in the middle of a path that wound through a forest.

"_Oh, yes, Ginny. Disobedient little girls pay dearly…"_

She wanted to run and seek out the warm comfort of her bed. She wanted nothing to do with the task he demanded of her.

"Nooo!" Ginny moaned and she clamped her hands over her ears, unsuccessfully dispelling his voice.

"_You know you've grown weak and you have no choice but to obey me."_

Proving his words true, she moved hesitantly forward, compelled by his will and not her own.

"_It's not much farther and once it's done, we can go back."_

She detected excitement in his voice and it made her feel sick; he was enjoying her fear and his control over her. She stole a glance sideways and her breath caught. He was slightly transparent; more apparition than man, yet in the fading light she could just make out his dark hair and his features, especially his eyes…

She shuddered and turned back, her attention drawn by the racket they were making, as if they knew their time was short. Looking upon the small coop and the birds scurrying fearfully around her feet, she did not remember opening the gate and walking into the enclosed yard that ensured they could not escape.

"_Hurry!"_ he commanded.

Heart pounding and tears flowing unchecked down her cheeks, her hand shot out without her permission and grabbed the first doomed creature. Sobs wracked her body as he forced her do it again and again until feathers and blood were everywhere…

The horror scene dissolved mercifully into green mist but instead of ending, the nightmare took her to the familiar dark tunnel and she let out a frightened whimper.

"_Come to me!" _

Her traitorous legs move her forward against her will once again, one footstep at a time, until she stood in front of an oddly decorated door. She prayed it would remain closed and prevent her passage but she was not to be so lucky. He whispered the strange sounds and she trembled as the portal swung open in response; he then compelled her forward, into the long narrow chamber. She tried resisting him as she passed by several stone pillars, successfully managing to pause for a moment, but he would have none of it.

Pain ripped through her body and she fell forward onto the stone floor, wreathing in agony. An eternity passed before he finally released her from her 'punishment', and through her tear-filled eyes she watched his shimmering dark-haired form materialize at the foot of a tall, stone statue.

"_Why do you continue to fight me when you have nothing to live for? No one will understand that you did everything for me; nor will he. Not that it matters since he'll soon be dead."_

"Don't hurt him!" she begged weakly, tears of fear and sorrow filling her already wet eyes.

His high, cold laugh mocked her as he glided soundlessly across the chamber floor to stand before her.

"_Why do you care about him when he cares nothing for you? It's too late, anyway. See?"_

Mist obscured the chamber from her sight, and when it cleared, she was standing at the edge of a high cliff overlooking the ocean. The setting sun provided just enough light to see the green-robed figure in the distance rushing toward her, his hand raised as if he was reaching out to her.

"Ginny!"

His voice was pleading and yet it filled her with warmth and hope.

"_Now I'll kill him." _

She watched in mute horror as the monster trained his wand on the man in the distance. The curse hit its target as it had many times before in this part of her dream, and the man in the green robes fell to the ground, where he remained lifeless and unmoving.

She wanted to cry out to him, to will him to get up and to live, but before she could utter a sound, the scene dissolved into more swirling mist that carried her back to the horrible chamber once again.

"_He'll never care for you; a silly girl barely good enough to do my bidding," _the dark-haired specter spat at her. _"Even if you could make him notice you, you'd learn that he's not so different from me." _

She looked up into his handsome face from her position on the floor, and he gave her a benign smile, though his mesmerizing eyes drilling into her remained cold. Even so, their resemblance _was_ uncanny and just as the thought flitted through her mind, his image started to change.

While his hair remained the same raven-black, it grew longer right before her eyes. His face became slightly thinner, his lips softer and a bit fuller, and his eyes… his eyes transformed into beautiful almond-shaped emeralds.

He smiled again, this time hatching a flock of butterflies in her stomach.

Relief flooded through her veins and she smiled tentatively back at him. He had come to save her, just as she hoped he would! He reached out to her and she thought it was to help her up off the floor until he spoke.

"_I know it's our resemblance that you like most about me."_

Her hand froze in mid air. His face might have changed, but his cold, cruel voice had not.

"_What's wrong, Ginny? I thought you liked this image."_

Her eyes flew to his, which were as cold as ice and she knew what was coming next. She turned in a desperate attempt to get away but just as she made it to her feet, the curse hit her square in the back again, knocking her to the stone floor.

"_It's not time for you to go yet. I want to show you how alike we are."_

"He's nothing like you!" she spat in defiance.

"_No?"_

He advanced on her menacingly, the face of the one she had loved for a lifetime now horribly twisted into a mask of brutality and malice. He closed in on her with a sadistic gleam burning in his green eyes and a scream began to bubble up in her throat.

This can't be real! She cried to herself desperately. He'd never hurt me! He wouldn't!

He stopped before her haltingly and his features distorted once again, as if she was viewing him through waves of heat reflecting off the road on a hot summer day. Initially his face transformed into an eerie amalgamation of the monster and her green-eyed savior, but her terror did not reach its full height until she could no longer see his features at all and she was staring into the bottomless eyes of an inhuman golden mask.

"_He's gone, Ginny. I killed him and now it's your turn to join him."_

He pointed his wand straight at her and then his torturous curse engulfed her in a cocoon of pure agony, ripping a scream from her very soul.

xxxxxxx

Harry glanced toward the stairs again, wondering when Ginny would wake from her nap. The water from the shower had stopped a while ago, and when she did not come down after another twenty minutes, he went up to the bedroom to check on her. There was no answer to his light knock, so he eased the door open and his eyes immediately found her sleeping form on the bed. She had seemed quite tired after the day's Quidditch practice, not to mention her run-in with Rita Skeeter, so he was glad she had decided get some rest.

It would be the gentlemanly thing to shut the door and allow her to continue her nap with complete privacy, but it was impossible for him to retreat from the room. Instead, he tip-toed quietly to the side of the bed to watch her sleep, all the while feeling a great sense of gratitude that she was alive and back with him again.

Okay, maybe she wasn't exactly _with _him, nor were they officially back together, but he hoped it was only a matter of time before they were, with or without the restoration of her memory.

A smile formed on her lips and Harry smiled, too, curious to know what she was dreaming about; he wanted to think it had something to do with him. When she stirred slightly, he decided it was time to leave since it would not help his cause if she woke up and found him standing over her, gawking.

"Dinner will be ready soon, sir," Kreacher said when Harry arrived back in the living room.

"Thank you, Kreacher, but Ginny's taking a nap and I'd like her to get as much rest as possible. Can you keep everything warm until after she wakes up?"

"As you wish, sir," the elf replied, bowing low before he turned to go back to the kitchen.

The evening edition of the _Daily Prophet _was lying unopened on the couch, and Harry figured he might as well read a bit while he waited for Ginny to come downstairs. Unfortunately he found absolutely nothing newsworthy since Ginny's return to Quidditch was the main story splashed across the front page. An accompanying article reported in the most dramatic way possible that several teams of Aurors had been dispatched to the stadium to handle a large and rowdy crowd of people that had gathered once the news leaked out. The article also relished in stating the fact that it was Miss Weasley's very own Auror fiancé who had come to whisk her away from the scene.

"Funny they don't mention the majority of the rowdy people in the crowd were the reporters themselves," he grumbled to himself as he folded the paper in disgust and tossed it onto the floor. The only positive he could see in the whole thing was that none of the articles were attributed to Rita Skeeter.

Harry smirked to himself; maybe the nosey busybody had finally developed a miniscule bit of sense after all.

He was just checking his watch again when a scream coming from the second floor ripped through the cottage. Immediately thinking the worst, Harry grabbed his wand and tore up the stairs, two at a time.

xxxxxxxxxx

Ron stumbled out of the destination fireplace, coughing to expel the soot from his lungs. In his nervousness, he had forgotten to hold his breath and he had inhaled a mouthful of ash. Still coughing, he pulled out his wand to take in his surroundings. If the Floo-spell had worked correctly, he should have ended up in the next fireplace down the line from wherever Arnold had come out.

Light from outside lamps illuminated the room, which looked to be a cluttered medium-sized, shop of some kind that smelled strongly of rotting vegetation. To Ron's immediate relief, he found himself quite alone, and he carefully picked his way around several display cases so as not to knock anything over. Looking out the window, it only took him a moment to realize that Jeremy Arnold had led him to Knockturn Alley.

"This just keeps getting better and better, doesn't it?" Ron muttered to himself.

For a moment he thought about turning back and contacting Harry now that he knew were Arnold had gone, but just then a figure moved past the window and he ducked down behind the counter. Whoever was outside must have detected Ron's movement because he stopped to peer in through the window. Ron held his breath as the wizard outside shined the light from his wand into the room, slowly scanning from one side to the other and back again. After a few moments, he must have assumed whatever movement he thought he saw had just been his imagination and he moved on.

Ron slowly stood up, just in time to see Jeremy Arnold pulling up the hood of his cloak as he made his way down the alley.

Unlocking the shop door and opening it carefully lest it make a noise, Ron pulled up the hood of his own cloak and, keeping to the shadows, followed Arnold as stealthily as he could. Arnold did not go very far before he stopped in front of a boarded up shop and looked back over his shoulder. Ron froze, hoping the shadows were enough to keep him hidden, which turned out to be the case, since Arnold continued on, entering the building.

Ron hurried on, making it to the shop just in time to see the outline of Arnold's body going up a staircase inside. The fourth step creaked under the man's weight and he stopped.

"Who's there?"

Both Arnold and Ron started at the unexpected hissed whisper from the darkness.

"An ally," came Arnold's nervous response.

"Pocket your wand and come up with your hands out, palms up," the voice commanded from above.

Arnold followed the directive and carefully went up the stairs.

Soon Ron heard low, muffled voices coming from above and he made his way up the stairs himself, careful to avoid the creaking fourth step. When he arrived on the second floor landing Ron realized that the wizards had gone up one more flight to the third floor. The building was old and in a state of complete disrepair and the smell of rotting wood and mildew clung to everything. Half of the second floor staircase banister was missing and several doors of the rooms further down the hall from the landing were hanging from their hinges. Ron shook away the frightening image of himself crashing through rotted floorboards to the room below and moved on up the second flight of stairs.

He came to a stop a few doors down from room that Arnold and the other Wizard were in, but at least he was close enough to hear what they were saying.

"I don't think we need to worry about Jefferson and Quailmire for now," Arnold was saying. "I put enough fear into them to keep them quiet and content with what they've already been paid. I just thought you out to know about them."

"I don't like it," responded a voice that Ron did not recognize. "Those two may be trouble. Make sure you keep a close eye on them. What else do you have?"

"I think your uncle may be getting suspicious," Arnold stated, "I just can't understand why."

"What has old straight britches said to make you think so?"

"Nothing specific per se. Since Potter planted the idea in his head that someone in the Security Department has been assisting you, Jodfree's been poking his nose into everything."

Ron's breath caught in his throat; Arnold was meeting one of the main suspects they had been searching for, Svenson Jodfree's nephew, Thomas, also known as Joddy!

"It's more what he isn't saying to me," Arnold continued his complaint. "He's always discussed his investigations with me in the past, but recently, he hasn't said a word about what he's been looking into, or whom."

"Maybe you let something slip that you shouldn't have," Joddy responded coolly.

"I'm not some wet-behind-the-ears schoolboy!" Arnold retorted. "I know how to keep my mouth shut!"

"I'm sure you do," Joddy replied skeptically.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Arnold snapped.

"It means nothing," someone else said, surprising Ron. He had not realized that there was a third man in the room with Joddy and Arnold.

"Is there anything else you need to tell us?" the third voice asked, and Ron frowned; it sounded very familiar, but for the moment he could not place who it belonged to.

"I've heard that Potter's girl was practicing at the Holyhead Harpies' stadium today," Arnold supplied.

"Yes, I'm aware of that," the familiar voice replied. "As is a good portion of the game's male fan base by now, I'm sure."

"I also heard that Potter wasn't very happy about it, either," Arnold stated with a smirk in his voice. "He's probably afraid you'll try going after her again."

"I don't doubt it. I never thought him to be stupid."

"So you are planning to go after the girl again?" Arnold asked curiously.

"Do you have any more information for us?" Joddy asked, denying Arnold an answer to his question.

"No, I've told you everything I have," Arnold replied stiffly.

"Then you should be on your way," Joddy said. "And do take care; I saw several Aurors who aren't exactly sympathetic to our cause patrolling the alley a little while ago."

By the time Ron realized that the Auror was leaving, he barely had enough time to step through the doorway of the room next to the one the men were meeting in before Arnold went by. A few moments later one of the two remaining men passed by the door of the room in which Ron was hiding only to come back less than a minute later.

"He's gone," Joddy said. "So what do you think? Is it time to be rid of Jefferson and Quailmire?"

"I don't see the need as yet," came the reply. "They're not our problem; they're Arnold's since he's the only one that they have anything on."

Ron moved back towards the door, fully intending to leave the building while the men were still engrossed in their conversation, when he noticed a small crack in the decaying wall. There was an oil lamp burning on a table between the two men, illuminating Joddy's face. The other still stood with his back towards Ron.

"True," Joddy was agreeing. "But what about the others? There are a few who have been complaining about not getting their money since we've lost Malfoy's funds."

The man with his back to Ron turned to reveal that he was wearing a gold mask, confirming Ron's suspicions.

"Let them complain. I have no further use of their services and they can't very well go to the Ministry to complain about it without incriminating themselves."

Ron knew he had to leave; he was more than pushing his luck already by staying as long as he had. He quietly crossed the room, but before he made it to the door, his cloak caught on a nail protruding from a broken piece of furniture. The sound of tearing cloth seemed as loud as a curse hitting the wall as it reverberated through the stillness of the building, giving away his presence.

The two men rushed from the room and in his panic Ron stumbled backward, tripping over the debris that littered the floor. As he fell, Ron lost his grip on his wand and when he looked back at the door, the two men were pointing their lit wands at him as well as blocking the only exit from the room.

Time seemed to stop as Ron and the two other Wizards stared at each other until Joddy broke the silence.

"Well, well, if it isn't Potter's best mate. Keep your hands where we can see them and stand up!"

Having little choice, Ron shakily complied.

Joddy smirked, "You came here alone, did you?"

"N-no! The others are just outside," Ron stated since he couldn't think of anything else to say. "They'll be storming in here any minute if they don't see me come out soon."

"Nice try but you're lying," Joddy stated matter-of-factly.

Ron licked his lips nervously as his eyes darted from Joddy to the man in the gold mask. He was mentally kicking himself for being so stupid as to come by himself.

The golden masked Death Eater finally spoke, "I'm going to have to speak with our Auror training department."

Joddy looked at Golden Mask as if he were had lost his mind. "What?"

"They need to make more of a point to teach trainees not to go running off by themselves where they'll get into trouble."

Golden Mask advanced further into the room, keeping his wand trained on Ron. "I do have to thank you though, Ron. You've given me another chance to hit Harry where it will hurt him the most. Now I don't have to settle for only killing Ginny before I finally do away with him, painfully, of course."

The man's plan for his kid sister and best friend fueled Ron's temper, momentarily overriding his fear of the situation he was in. Balling his hands into tight fists, Ron took an angry step towards the head Death Eater only to be halted by Joddy.

"Don't move!" Joddy commanded, leveling his wand higher at Ron's chest.

"Who are you?" Ron demanded, glaring straight into the eyes behind the golden mask. "What could Harry have possibly done that in your twisted mind justifies what you're doing to him? And Ginny? She does not deserve to die!"

Golden Mask tilted his head slightly as if studying Ron as he formulated his response. "No, she doesn't, but sometimes collateral damage is unavoidable on the road to retribution and restitution. Tell me; if I had been successful in killing your wife—"

Ron's brow furrowed darkly at the mention of Hermione's near death in the explosion.

"—or once your sister and Harry are dead, what would you want above all else? Assuming you were still alive, that is. Wouldn't you want to hunt me down? Wouldn't you want to avenge their deaths?"

"Of course I would!" Ron spat. "But, I wouldn't go about killing innocent people to do it! I'd bring you in to face a trial and life in Azkaban!"

"Then that is where we must agree to differ," Golden Mask stated, still leaving Ron with no insight into the driving force behind the man's hatred of Harry.

"Who _are_ you?" Ron could not stop himself from asking again.

With Joddy keeping Ron at wand point, the Death Eater turned away, leading Ron to think that he was not going to answer. But then the man reached up to remove the mask before slowly turning back around so that the light from Joddy's wand illuminated his face.

Ron's heart gave a frantic leap as his eyes widened in recognition.

The man gave him a slight affirmative nod and smiled, almost benevolently.

"That's right; and Harry still hasn't caught on."

It happened so fast that Ron had no chance to even try to get out of the way. The Death Eater's curse struck him hard, throwing him across the room and through the glass window to the ground below. Both Death Eaters ran over to the window, fully planning to ensure Ron was dead, but the noise of the crashing glass alerted the Aurors patrolling Knockturn Alley. The Death Eaters glanced quickly at Ron's still, broken form lying in the middle of numerous smashed crates and barrels, an arm and a leg each splayed at unnatural angles.

"Think he's dead?" Joddy asked worriedly as the Aurors reached Ron's body.

Both Death Eaters pulled back from the window before the Aurors could see them and the other replied, "Looks it, but either way, he won't be doing any talking. Come on we have to get out of here."

Both men left hastily through the back of the building, ensuring their escape from the new Aurors being called to the scene.


End file.
